Oh, That Beautiful White Death

Oh, the beauty of snow, white fluffy flakes, fills the skies, falls upon our earth, a freshness and visual splendor for our eyes to see. Snow fills aging hearts with the memories and wonder of their long past youth, reliving for just a moment the child like joy of falling snow. Snow excites and energizes millions of youth who pray to stay home from school and enjoy endless hours of white filled fun. Snow covers the landscape with beauty and awe, a canvass of fresh paint from a Skilled Master Artist. Oh, the beauty of snow.

Oh, the horror and misery of this white torture, falling all over the roads, making life miserable, another struggle of endurance in an already difficult journey. This white death that covers the winter and causes so much agony for so many people, just wish it would dry up and go away. Oh, the dislike of snow, wondering why God fills the day with this awful stuff.

I’m sure there are multiple degrees between the above two descriptions of snow. Life brings us some many moments of beauty for one, misery for the other. Our perceptions are molded by our experiences and how we view life. The beauty of the ocean can be fear of death to another. The miserable heat of Florida can be a vacation get-a-way for another. The majestic mountains are hurdles of discomfort for others. So many ways to perceive our existence.

Unlike perception, acceptance is realizing the reality of our situation and understanding our level of control and influence. In our attempts to accept what we don't particularly care for, we build character and understanding of ourselves and the world around us. We learn that giving our energy to what we cannot control or influence is indeed giving up our control, which in reality, is our ability to choose our attitude and perceptions in life. Giving our energy up to what we cannot control leads to our own depression, anxiety, frustrations, anger, and misery, giving us nothing but lost hope and sleepless nights.

Acceptance is letting go and realizing that in giving up control, we gain all the control we need. I encourage you my reader and friend to refocus your energy and efforts towards what you can influence and what you can impact in your life, leading you towards hope and joy in life. However you view the snow, the beach, the heat, your in-laws, your job, etc, is rather irrelevant, as your perceptions will not change anything except your own attitude and whether your inner self drifts towards misery or joy, anger or compassion, hate or love. Today, let it be, practice acceptance, and enjoy your life.

(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You Saw What?

Image
That old saying about opinions surely applies to perceptions. You and I can visually see the same thing and have different perceptions. And this applies to what we hear, experience, and belief. I perceive the cold and beauty of winter as that of a child, with excitement and joy, whereas my friend might experience this as misery and confinement. And then, the cost of heating and the fear of freezing could be a completely different and drastic impression to others. In my opinion, I only know of one absolute. Most everything else is perception. It seems to me that we quickly, and oh so easily, fall into the belief that our perceptions are fact and in many cases, especially for those of us with higher degrees of control needs and rigidity, fail or refuse to see past what we feel. As I listen to people around me, in my interactions, I am aware of how perceptions interfere with the ability to truly hear and understand others. I heard a person once state, “They’re my feelings and so their
Read more

Worthy and Wanted

Image
Many of us attempt to start our days each day in a positive manner, with a direction that will guide us in a meaningful and healthy manner throughout the remainder of the day. Some begin with exercise, others coffee (yes, coffee is very meaningful), others some form of relaxation, others meditation, and others prayer, or a combination of more than one. Beginning our days in a purposeful manner helps us to manage and resist the coming anxiety and stress that life in the real world brings. In beginning a day, I came along a prayer from another person, penned anonymously, in a daily reading, which was simple and yet so complex. It read, “I pray that I may never make anyone feel repulsed or unwanted”. Sounds good, sounds simple, sounds easy enough. And then, when I contemplate the depth of such a prayer, I realize the true difficulty of such a prayer. A similar prayer echoes through my mind, “Lord, help me to return to this bed causing as little harm as possible throughout my day”. Such
Read more

Living The Label

Image
I'm not much of a label person, and maybe you're not either, but have you noticed while shopping the people looking at labels on food and products. And what about all those warning labels, stating this product can cause cancer, this one tooth decay, that one heart disease, and so forth. It is my impression that labels are out there to make our life easier, to make choices easier, and to guide us as we make decisions that are in our best interest and best for our health. In many areas, labels serve a purpose, and in other areas, they really don't. I've come to the conclusion that many times labels just state the obvious. Labels like, "smoking causes cancer", or "sweets cause tooth decay", or "alcohol may cause birth defects", just state the obvious; pretty common sense stuff. Sure, there are many labels that are helpful, especially for those of us who are counting calories, limiting sodium and cholesterol, or watching our fat intake. Other
Read more