“When things go bad, they’ll get good again.” My four-year-old granddaughter just wandered into my office with that piece of wisdom as I was sitting here contemplating what to write. I was impressed! When I asked, “What made you think of that?” she replied, “I heard it from a dog in a cartoon.” Hmmm…perhaps I need to expand the kinds of shows I watch!
Her statement is truly profound and so true. I’m at an age now when I can look back and clearly see that neither the really good nor the really bad things in my life lasted forever. I also believe that hope lies in knowing that simple thing – that both intense happiness and deep despair are short-lived. I wish I had known that after our baby died the day after he was born years ago. I think my debilitating grief could have been shortened had I been aware that I could and would be happy again. That’s not to say that I “got over” his death, only that I was eventually able to smile again and enjoy the rest of my life with increased awareness of my many blessings. At the other end of the spectrum, the excitement I felt when my book Women’s Wisdom: Pass It On! was recognized as a “Finalist” in the 2016 International Book Award soon faded.
Wisdom lies in not just learning from our experiences, but sharing it with others as appropriate. When I send a sympathy card to someone who has lost a child, for example, I can share a bit of my story and reassure them that life, though not what they expected or wanted, would again flourish.
The loss is permanent, but it need not rule forever.
So, my own bit of wisdom today? Anticipate some bad things, but when they happen, know also that you will grow through it and good things will return. I’ll end here with my granddaughter on all fours under the table pretending to be a dog. Happiness.