You May Have Gone Through It Too

At times we wonder why we go through those rough patches. Just consider that many times we hardly ask ourselves why we are going through a good stint, we may tend to jump right in and enjoy it. However the minute that there is “the valley of the shadow of trouble” – our questioning may become more intense. Seeking answers on “Why” this is happening and for “How long.

Now when these rough times or trials confront us, we have the option of either curling up under the pressure OR we can buckle up for the ride and plow on through.

Curling Up
Let us take the first option and curl up and hope for the best. This may be likened to an approaching storm of some sort and like a snail in its shell we may be tossed and turned about the way until that tempest is over. Great! The ideal thing is to see if we’ve learnt anything from that experience. As we hunker down, maybe for this type of trialĀ  – Was this the best method to employ? We were tossed and turned…and while we may have started at point A…by the end of the wind and troubles, we are now at a new point B some distance from where we first curled up.

Thinking through – our evaluation of this strategy – did it help us? Was this rough life-experience enough to cause us to end up somewhere new? New venue, or new position in life. This new space may be where we can put our roots down and have a fresh growth and a fresh start.

Is it a New Job? New Home? New State? – Well that all depends on the type of storm we went through that may have caused us to move to this new space. The benefit of curling up here is that as the tide ebb and flows, we also ebb and flow with that specific current, and effectively taking a path of little resistance. Remember as we are bumped around and are thrown up and down in the rough event- there will be some pain. There will be challenges and maybe at some points we may even get stuck under a rock or in a crevice.

Not a good feeling right?

Being thrown around in life is not exactly the most pleasant experience at times, but this experience will – show us what works if we are confronted with similar challenging circumstances again. Additionally we can share our experience with others to help them through their own.

Buckling Up & Remaining Fixed
This method of riding through a rough patch in life may be chosen as well. It should be carefully weighed as well to see if this is the best choice for the period. When you walk through this type of strategy, it means that you have to have a strong enough constitution to put up your resistance. Thinking through a storm again, and having a fixed position means that you should also have a strong foundation. Consider the coconut or palm tree.

These trees grow very tall and quickly, however as stormy weather approaches and the high winds start to push against the coconut tree, the tree topples easily and quickly because the foundation was shallow.

With an oak tree though, the growth is slow and steady such that when bad weather and high winds come along and push against that tree, the oak tree remains steadfast. This is even after both trees have been subjected to similar experiences.

As you go through your own storm, the foundation which keeps us grounded must be quite firm. Our belief system in other words, must be able to withstand whatever temptations we may be faced. How strong is your foundation? Additionally while our foundation is fixed, like the tree – we may sway a little bit through the period. As least this means that we do not break under the pressure by being too rigid. Again it is important to learn the lesson of that trial, such that any sprains and fractures that occur we know where our points of reinforcement has to be. This may be in our principles or our teachings and faith support system as we go through that valley.

Path Chosen
There is not necessarily a “one size fits all” solution. Since we may have to use our initiative and creativity to combine both. In some Caribbean countries as they go through the hurricane season, residents may remain fixed for a period through the typhoon. As the intensity increases, the resident may be encouraged to “move” and roll away from the current position and head to a safer place for refuge… Meanwhile others decide to remain fixed in their location and rough it out, as they believe their structure may be strong enough.

At the end of the entire process, some hindsight should be employed as the rough patches in life are really those periods grooming us to enhance our future selves. It means that our new persona should be stronger as ultimately stronger and stronger tests will occur. Some growth should have taken place, as the foundation which we were relying on, may need to be reinforced to support our personal development.

At the end of the day – you may have gone through it as well…


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