Wednesday, March 12, 2008

all i really need to know...

I don't deal well with grief. It makes me uncomfortable. I really don't understand people who wallow in their grief. They make me mad. I do understand anger, however. I completely get wanting to choke the crap out of the ***hole who stands at the gas station air compressor after his tire has been inflated simply because he doesn't want you to use the rest of his $.75. Who doesn't get that?
But here's the thing (this isn't earth shattering (if you want deep and groundbreaking check out N's blog)), we need grief - if for no other reason than to help us regain perspective.
I was reminded of this a little while ago when I ran across an NPR interview with Robert Schimmel. I won't even attempt to retell it here, since, as my dear N loves to point out, I suck at it - my version typically takes twice as long as the original.
We'll just stick with the perspective I regained:
Don't just look for opportunities to instruct your children - look for opportunities to learn from them. They have as much to teach as they have to learn.
"If you want to survive, keep marching." Don't wallow. Don't ever quit. I guarantee you someone else has overcome far worse than you are currently dealing with.
Choose your words carefully - you can't unring a bell - don't put yourself in a position to wish you could.
And finally, even with an eternal perspective, life is fleeting and nothing is guaranteed - make the most of every minute you have with the ones you love.

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