Gigit '22
The Glass is Half-Full
I'd been around the block long enough to come up with my personal version of Desiderata and Sunscreen. This is all based on whatever knowledge I've accumulated, whatever life experience I've gone through, and of course, my current state of mind and being. I'll call my version, The Glass is Half-Full.
LOVE
Your love for one another is vault-solid? Rubbish! There is no such thing as a vault-solid love. Love is forever fragile...handle it with care and don't take it for granted. Like watering the plants, it's a daily maintainance job...not a trouble-shooting job when it breaks. When kindness is offered, don't say, "Thanks, but I can manage." Make your partner feel needed. Don't be afraid to say, "I love you"..but only if you mean it.
Your love is forever? Rubbish! Love is never forever - it has a shelf life. Love is there because it serves a purpose. When that purpose is met, love fades away. Hopefully, you're not the partner left holding the bag - because it's heart-breaking. Yes, love is finite so while it lasts, make the moments count.
BROKEN HEART
When your heart is broken (trust me, it will inevitably happen), you can take refuge in the bottle, psychedelics or just calcify your heart. But stop for a moment. If you were given a choice to go through life without knowing what it's like to fall in love and have your heart shattered into a million bits, would you choose to deny yourself this powerful human experience? I'm glad you said no. But once is enough.
CAREER
When you're young, fresh out of university, take a corporate job. Most people off the grid will tell you it's a shitty place. They're not lying. Take the job anyway. It's a rite of passage. Deal with the tight deadlines, deal with a stupid boss who gives you stupid tasks, get by-passed for a promotion, get victimized by office politics, deal with unpaid overtimes and lost weekends. Be prepared to be slapped around. When you've had enough, tell your boss she's incompetent. You will be fired, but you'll get a nice severance pay.
Now, you've paid your dues. Leave the job. Nothing hurts after that. Follow your bliss all the way to the end of the rainbow. Three things will happen - 1) you'll make less money, 2) you're happier and 3) you'll never go back (you can't put the genie back in the bottle).
FAMILY
Sometimes, family can be toxic, but you feel stuck. It's an itch you have to keep scratching. Step back, and love them from a distance. Send them birthday cards, but keep your distance. You'll also keep your sanity that way.
To the benevolent few, make sure you invite them for coffee whenever you miss them.
FRIENDS
Friends will wish for your happiness...as long as it does not exceed theirs. In times of trouble, most friends will just stand there, pretend not to see, and do nothing. Some will even betray you. Don't despair, it's human nature. You can be jaded, or you can dust yourself off and move on, being more aware of the energies you allow into your space. And if that doesn't work and the cycle repeats itself, well, that's just life - take it or meditate inside a cave and never come out. Your choice!
But the rare one or two who'll go the distance with you through the gauntlet, go out of your way to make them feel valued. These people are rare and sought after...and they know it!
YOUR CHOICE
While the glass is half-empty, it's also half-full. Both are correct. It's the choice you make.