Feeling shallow
Reading a dear friend's e-mail this morning updating me on her life in the past month or so left me feeling superficial. All my moodiness, cares, problems and worries of late seemed so shallow and trivial in comparison.
Her e-mail wasn't even a sad, weepy one full of self-pity. And even if it were, I wouldn't blame her one bit. But I was amazed that she sounded matter-of-fact, upbeat even. Her strength and courage in face of her problems shone through her words.
Feelings of sadness, indignation and helplessness swirled inside me after reading her e-mail. Sad on behalf of my friend, indignant because this had to happen to her and helplessness because she is so far away not even allowing me to offer her proper moral support.
A million questions also ran through my head:
"Why must this happen to the nicest of people?"
"What if something similar were to happen to me?"
"Would I be that brave, be as positive?"
Later in the day as the news started to sink in more, an element of guilt crept into my thoughts:
"Have I been taking small blessings eg, health, talent, youth in my life for granted?"
"Did I sound like I didn't care when speaking to my parents on the phone the other day?"
"Do I spend enough time and effort keeping in touch with my brother?"
"Have I been whinging unnecessarily?"
When something like this jolts me enough into re-examining my perspective of life, I am reminded that perhaps the bottomline in life is this: remembering to see the larger picture of things. Choosing a wider view of matters and remembering that the world does not revolve around me and all my ‘earth-shattering’ problems.
The sun still rises, ocean waves still break on the beach, daisies continue to flourish even if I don’t get that dream job, meet that ideal guy, impress my biggest boss, get a prestigious scholarship, live up to the highest expectations.
There are so many other inspiring people out there I know who have faced tougher challenges and have stood tall. Why not me?
posted by N.J.A.P.F. @ 4:01 PM
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