As some of you may have noticed, I’ve been on hiatus from the blog for the last month or so. (I was so tempted to use the third person there and say something like, “Renaissance Jack has been on hiatus . . .,” but, I just didn’t think I could pull it off.) Anyway, there’s no good excuse other than that this is always the busiest time of the year for me, and, I feel like I’ve been too tired to put in the requisite thought I expect from myself when it comes to the posts. But, for anyone who cares, rest assured – I will be back.
In the meantime, you will find below a guest post from one of the most thoughtful and loyal people I know. He’s a dear friend, and you can find him on “the Twitter” (Craig Ferguson, anyone?) under the handle “@ice_db.” Enjoy.
——————
I am the proverbial “silver lining” guy; or, as my good friend likes to say, “Mr. Lemonade.” Too many people have remarked on my “wonderful gift” of seeing the positive aspects of any undeniably negative situation. They don’ t get it, and maybe you don’t either.
It isn’t “perspective,” as they say – it is determination. It isn’t sophomoric “optimism,” either – it is perseverance. And, it’s not “blissful ignorance” or “naivety,” as they judge it to be – it is the hardest thing there is. It is faith.
When you get knocked down eight times, and get up nine…. it is faith. It isn’t faith that you won’t get knocked down again. No. It is Faith that when you do get knocked down, again, you will have the strength to get up – again.
It is a battle, but not between you and the dark cloud, or you and the hard to swallow lemons. It is a battle to stay on the finest of lines between “hope” and “delusion” without falling prey to either.
You mustn’t delude yourself into thinking that things will automatically get better for you, just because you survived the initial bad blow. Equally important, you can’t just stand back up into the mix and merely hope that something will be different. If you do either, you are likely to end up flat on your back – again – because nothing has changed. Only, eventually, you will have been beaten up so badly that you won’ t be able to get back up.
I don’t know why some people (including me) get hit harder or more often than others. Nor can I offer some reward or salvation for having to endure more than others. I don’t believe there is some master plan, or that there is some test or enlightening lesson to be
learned. I can’t believe that. I need to believe that it is just some damn bad luck. The reasons for that are best left for another day.
What I do know, is that you need to get up. That’s what the silver lining is. That’s the lemonade. That’s the finest of lines between hope and delusion. All I can do is remember my reasons for doing so… and do my best in the damn world to help you remember yours.
Today, remind the people you love and who love you that you are each other’s reasons for getting up; and no matter how hard they might get hit, there will be strong arms around them to lean on when they do. And, if you are worried that somebody out there might not have reasons… or needs some extra arms… reach out with yours.
