The ride called life

By: 
Miriam Nelson
mnelson@newmedia-wi.com

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It’s that time of year where there is a bit of a crackle in the air. One year is ending and another is beginning.

Some of us can’t say goodbye to last year fast enough and fear the uncertainty of what this new year will bring. That’s a lot of disappointment to handle.

By the same token, there are people who felt last year was the best year ever and look forward with hope of what the new year will bring.

We should all choose to be like those people.

I recently ran across an observation that “growth and comfort cannot coexist,” and I suppose that pretty much sums up life in general.

I remember a scene in the movie “Parenthood” where Steve Martin plays a rather uptight father who has trouble dealing with the ups and downs of daily living. The pivotal shot shows him viewing the world around him in slow motion as if he’s on some roller coaster ride that is terrifying him. He eventually sees through all the chaos and comes to embrace the ride, both the up and the downs.

There are many times I have been on that roller coaster ride. There’s something important about being able to rise and face your challenges and then enjoy the sweetness of success and happiness. The growing pains will lead to the comfort zones, but it’s a process that won’t be ignored.

So many people this time of year feel sad that they can’t enjoy the holidays because it isn’t perfect. They feel deflated when they didn’t get or give the perfect gift. Some feel lonely in a crowded room.

I like to joke that you can cure those feelings by lowering the bar on your expectations. That’s a pretty flippant attitude, but what I really mean is that it’s important to adjust your perspective. It helps if you give yourself credit for the things you do right. It shouldn’t really matter if someone doesn’t appreciate the time and effort you put into a gift, a dinner or a well-executed travel plan. You need to just look at it from your perspective and not worry about meeting someone else’s expectations.

Use this next year to embrace rather than fear the downs because they bring you closer to those comfort zones we all cherish. Enjoy the ride that this year brings.