Life Is About Dealing With Crisis

It’s true. From the struggle for the first breathe to dealing with the end, life is just a bunch of speed bumps to happiness.

Johnny skinned his knee, Sally lost her favorite doll, Tommy failed kindergarten, Amy was left on the bus, Billy lost his bowel control in school, Little Jamie’s turtle died, Mike threw up all over grandmother’s cat, Mary has to get glasses, Don was helping dad when he fell off the roof….

The list goes on and on when you are a kid. It doesn’t end when you have your own kids. It doesn’t end when your kids have kids. Every moment is a crisis.

Remember you were a kid too. Not growing as tall as everyone else, pimples, voice changes in the choir, not being selected to the sports team, that run in your stocking at the prom, a zipper break, bad haircuts, that phone call that never came, whatever that stuff is between your toes, hair coming out of your body, what is that smell, stepping on your dates foot, bad kiss, family chores, report cards, the first time….

Yes, the list goes on and on. There is no way to avoid it.

That affair, a long night out with the guys and then you wake up, the raise that didn’t come, spilling mustard on your tie, flat tires, broken washing machines, leaking pipes, backed up toilets, late for meetings, copier broken, late bills, a robbery, the boss is mad at your lack of productivity, your partner leaves, the vacation is a disaster, the parents are dying, the dog dies, your phone breaks, customer service calls, noisy neighbors, loss of hair, lost, pain, addiction, shame, depression, suicide….

While we all seek rainbows and butterflies and unicorns, this life thing is rough. There is no book of instructions to guide you through it so you are on your own. There are options. Religions of alternating varieties, alternative healings with candles and meditations, physical release of stress and temptation, chemical and herbal potions and concoctions are offered to ease the strain of just waking up in the morning and facing another day.

It doesn’t go away. Long lines at the grocery store, traffic jams, bad reception, mother-in-law moving in, flight delays, late delivery with the wrong item, remote dies, corns, snoring, late night meetings and lost dinners, early check-outs, lost luggage, bad breath, doctor’s diagnosis, an itch, cold feet, sweat, kitchen fire, parking ticket, jury duty, fat, yoga, doughnuts, farts, exercise, loss of eyesight.

You thought it would stop? Pain, higher prices, power failure, snow, insomnia, sink replacement at Christmas, holidays, birthdays, emergency rooms, does this dress make me look fat, flirting, diarrhea, yards, retirement, coffins, baptism, socks, toe nails, leaking roofs, test, love, tossing your cookies, death….

The ultimate crisis is we know, logically that there is a beginning and an end. There have been enough of us to go before us to prove the theory that we all are going to die.

Have you ever noticed the wild kingdom that surrounds you? They have the same crisis of fear and hunger and shelter but know not of death. When one dies, the others will recognize the loss and then move on. For the remains will be devoured by the carnivores or simply disincarnate as we all will.