Life is not out to get you

This one never gets old.
On the same note, my brand new dishwasher is breaking down, and of course my go-to reaction is "Why me? Life is just so hard!" *cue dramatic sighing*.

And to go beyond the "first world/uber privileged problem" issue with that (because, contrary to popular belief, it has never helped any one, in any kind of crisis, to know that other people are suffering more than they are), isn't it how we are tempted to deal with anything bad that happens to us, be it as trivial as a dishwasher or as life changing as losing a loved one, a job, a limb, a dream?

And maybe the work, the only work, is to very, very gently, step forward and look for the self that knows that the struggle is not personal. That Life doesn't have a price on your head or a bullseye on your back. That you are not being punished. That it's ok to feel overwhelmed, and sad, and angry, and uncomfortable, and it's also ok to find the gold in the struggle. It doesn't mean that it's less hard, or unfair, or that your suffering isn't real. It's possible to be undone and strong at the same time. It's possible to be kind to the part of us that want to flee from difficulty while also embracing the strength given by taking life heads on.

Look at all you've been through already, without diminishing any of it. Yet you are still able to hear the birds in the morning and smile, still able to feel the rain on your skin, to dance to the music. Isn't that, in itself, proof that you are a miracle? That you can face anything that life throws your way, that you will find a path through, no matter how steep.

And the fact that I got all that from a broken dishwasher, wasn't the breaking worthwile ? 🍽️