Good time zone my friends and fellow Jedi. This last year has taught me a lot. It was truly the good, the bad and the ugly. Although the pain is still raw and we are still working on getting things back into our families new definition of ‘normal’, I can’t help but think of the lessons I was blessed and blasted with.
Rock bottom. We’ve all heard the term and the expression. What is it? The belief we have hit the bottom of life and things can’t possibly get worse. Why is it? In life there are highs and lows. Both are excellent teaching points if we know what to look for. Rock bottom is different for everyone because circumstances are different for everyone. Many, if not most, of us have been there. Some of us more than once or twice. One persons rock bottom is no better or worse than another’s. As I have learned, rock bottom isn’t necessarily the bottom. Sometimes it is just another landing that we can fall from and find ourselves lower than we were before.
Other times, we fall, climb back up and fall again to find the rock bottom has changed. But it is not the landing that has changed, it is our perception that has changed. If we picked ourselves up, learned what we did wrong and pushed ourselves to grow, the landing would be less intense and we may not even feel like we hit rock bottom again but if we’ve done nothing to grow and have become stagnant, the landing can feel even worse than the first time even though circumstances might be similar.
[10:32 PM]
Then there are the times you feel like John Wick from John Wick 4. You get almost to the top of the massive hill of stairs only to get knocked back down close to the very bottom. Landings you were on before fly by and you find yourself falling deeper and deeper with the clock running out. I have been in that situation this last year. It was difficult and I’m still dealing with a lot of it. Like John though, I picked myself up and made my way back up the hill, but I couldn’t have done it without help, just like Mr. Wick.
When we are at our lowest we find reasons and excuses to not pull ourselves out of it. The pain of having to move and start the climb again for one. Life can be highly uncomfortable at times, so how do we deal with it? There are many ways but I’ve found having a few people you can trust and lean on makes the going easier. They won’t carry you but they will help you up and assist you as you climb. They will encourage you, lift your spirits and assuage your fears. There will come a time they might need a hand up and you can have the chance to return the favor or even find someone else that is at rock bottom.
We have to remember that we are only human and that we need to love ourselves, forgive ourselves and be willing to help others when they are down. The people who helped me all had their own stuff going on but they will still willing to extend their hands to help me back on my feet. Rock bottom isn’t a fun place but it’s not the worst place either. It’s just one stop on the path and there will be many more. Sometimes we go up and sometimes we will go down. What we do when we are down makes all the difference for when we are going back up. On the same note, what we do when we are up makes a big difference when we are down. Actions and consequences. What we put out, we get back, good or bad. If you find yourself at the bottom, don’t stay there. If you need help, reach out. Whether it’s me or someone else, just reach out.
[10:32 PM]
May the Force be with us all.
October 19, 2024
