Silver Linings

Before looking for a silver lining, make sure to grieve first

Good morning! How often do you look for silver linings?

Despite being Stoic about a lot of things, meaning I react mostly calmly to tragedy, I consider it just slightly morbid when something awful happens and someone, in a chipper voice, mentions the silver lining.

Yeah, there’s good to be found in darkness and in tragedy, but I do think there should be a slight period of mourning or at least understanding the gravity of a situation before moving on to find the good that can come of it.

For example, over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve been trying out this new weight loss system called “Having the Stomach Flu,” and it’s been really effective; however, the fact that there’s a silver lining to it doesn’t negate the negative aspects of it (oh, did I also mention I can be very nonchalant when it comes to sharing bad news?). Like, I’m still sick on the inside and that’s not okay.

Life sucks sometimes. Families have issues, finances cause havoc, electronics and vehicles can go haywire or break, and villains sometimes steal the moon.

When tragedy happens (And I hope it’s clear I’m not talking about the stomach flu), I think the best solution is to first accept the situation, understanding the weight and gravity of what happened, and only after having accepted it (with or without tears, your call) should you try to move past it and look for silver linings.

Accept the fact that you’re sick, wounded, or heartbroken; then, once the first shock-wave of grief passes you by, look for a silver lining, but be aware that a second shock-wave is often bound to follow. Hang in there, it’s a bumpy ride.

God bless you, have a great day!