You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun.
—Shaun Hick
Ahhh…the quirks of being human.
Why is it we sometimes seem to need to go through a (long, drawn-out) difficult experience so that we are better able to appreciate the good times, when they do roll around again?
I am a writer who works from home. I am a person who needs quiet surroundings – both when I am working as well as I am not working, so that I can process (in peace) whatever project I happen to be working on. For me, one of the places I process best is my garden.
I used to live in a town just a few hours south of where I am currently living. But I am pleased to report that my happiness level (and peace of mind), since moving, has skyrocketed.
Though beautiful, the garden in my previous home was anything but quiet or peaceful.
Between the extremely noisy neighbours on one side (band saw, power washer, weed wacker used to cut the ENTIRE lawn, screaming children, fighting parents, pounding bass from the booming stereo, etc) and the increasingly busy street out front, it’s a miracle I lasted seven years at that abode. When the rats moved in, I moved out.
In hindsight, at least I got a great story out of the experience (a play).
Now that those noisy neighbourhood days are behind me (for now anyway) I can’t help but wonder if perhaps those less-than-stellar outdoor living conditions helped pave the way for me to fully appreciate the quiet garden (and street) and I now have?
For not a day goes by that I don’t look to the sky and give a word of thanks to the powers-that-be for the gift of being able to sit or putter in my own garden (without having to wear ear protection) and enjoy the peace, tranquility and beauty it has to offer.
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
—Meister Eckhart
As much as I love my work, when I do take breaks, it is awfully nice to be able to hear the chirping of birds versus the screech of a band saw. But maybe the (thankfully fading) memory of the relentless band saw is a reminder to appreciate the sweet silence and the serenity it provides?
The fact that my home & garden are a five minute’s drive from a stunning sandy beach where I can walk for miles, swim (the water is warm because of the big tides) and collect sand dollars at low tide is, truth be told, far beyond my wildest dreams.
I always dreamed of being a “writer by the sea” but I didn’t realize, until just a few years ago, that a beach like this even existed in Canada. I suspect this is yet another example of our souls keeping important information from us until the time is right. Maybe if I ended up here twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have had the life experience or wisdom to appreciate it?
How about you?
What difficult past experience have you had—that helped prepare you to better appreciate a current situation?
Or…what difficult situation are you currently experiencing that you will be very happy to be done with—and are promising the powers-that-be that you WILL appreciate a better scenario, when it finally does get delivered?
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Previously Published on Pink Gazelle
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The post Why Difficult Times Help Pave the Way to Appreciate a Better Future appeared first on The Good Men Project.
