Life's Challenges

When we came into this world, there was no guarantee that life would be wonderful. In fact, most of us cried as our first emotion. During our early years, we cried more. We cried for food. We cried at the doctor's office. We cried just to be crying. Then, we learned to talk. We learned how to whine, much to the disgust of our parents. Life made it hard for us to smile, but we tried to laugh. After all, laughing helped us cope with life's problems. If you put yourself in a happy place, things just seem to be a bit better. "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. " We all remember Mary Poppins. So, everyone has challenges. It may be where to go to college. How am I going to pass that test? Why won't anyone love me? Who are my friends? Or, it might be health issues. Or financial issues. I had, and continue to have, financial challenges. When Macy's stopped giving me raises, and costs kept going up, I could no longer afford to live. I overextended myself with credit cards, and couldn't pay them back. I have collectors call me every day. I don't answer the phone, unless you identify yourself as someone I know. It is a horrible way to live. I have thankfully had some friends help me get through the rough times. If it were not for them, I would have crashed my car into a bridge. Depression is an awful thing. I have lost people, who I thought were my friends. When I told them of my problems, they just turned their backs on me and won't speak to me anymore. Were they my friends to start with? I thought so, but we all moved on. I have learned to be more understanding of others. So, as bad as my life has been, I just put that stuff in a corner of my life and carry on. I use this medium to express my emotions. It is therapy. People who don't know me will read it and will think badly of me, or maybe admire me. Who knows? So, today there is another challenge. My dear friend Joni told me yesterday that her sister has been diagnosed with cancer. I don't know if they caught it early, but I pray that they have. Her sister is a very nice person with a family. I hope things will be okay, but it is a challenge. Joni's friendship means a lot to me. I wish I could be there today, so I send her a long distance hug. I hate to bring this up now, but I have told a couple of friends about my plans for my funeral. My father was a stickler for funeral plans. He was buried 9 years ago yesterday. His funeral was just what he wanted. In my funeral plans, I have asked my friends Thom and Mary Ann Stone to sing the song "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin. It could be described as my theme song. Look it up. When you read the lyrics, you will know my philosophy of life. There are challenges out there. Smile.