The big bounce

29 Jun The big bounce

If life gives you lemons, drink tequila (or make lemonade if tequila is not your thing). Right?  But there is only so much tequila or lemonade you can drink before you have to face the facts, acknowledge the situation and move on.  The great Nelson Mandela once said “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.

We all have times when we think ‘when will things ever get better?’ and when we feel as though the light at the end of the tunnel has clearly fused and we will never see it come on again, but eventually we have to pick ourselves up and get back on the road.  It may take a day or two, it may take a much longer time, but we eventually have to move on.

Last year, I said that 2017 could only be better, but so far, it isn’t really living up to my expectations. Our country is in continued turmoil, I hear of and see stories of absolute tragedy from people close to us and all over the world, and the germs and sicknesses going around seem to be worse than ever and just won’t go away!  There is just so much that keeps getting me down.  I sometimes feel a bit like a punching bag that’s knocked over again each time I straighten up.  But, there is also so much to appreciate and to be thankful for.  I live in a beautiful country close to so many of my family and friends, I have a great job and most of all, I know that an awesome God is looking out for me and those I love.

Although it sometimes seems like the tunnel is long and endless, the light is there. It may be just a minutely tiny little flicker, but if you focus on it, it becomes bigger and brighter, until it becomes so bright that there is no darkness at all.  That little flicker is what we have to focus on to bring ourselves back, to make the bounce upright again.  Initially we have to force ourselves to focus on it, to see and feel the good things, but slowly, it gets easier, until we feel happier more of the time rather than less of the time.

We have to bounce back.  We owe it to our children and the people we love.  We owe it to ourselves.  Being knocked down is part of life.  Getting back up is living.