Embracing Struggle
We want life to be easier... But should we?
Her face was flushed and twisted in anger… her verbal knives had flayed all the skin off my chest and cut a hole straight through. I was dead inside. there was no fighting back, nothing more to say. She had drank too much wine to hear logic, had once again… AGAIN… decided to get angry over something stupid, and on Christmas Eve.
I was done. It had been too many times.
I turned, picked up my coat, phone, wallet and walked out. As an orphan, and then a soldier, I’d dealt with more than my share of violence, rage, abuse and cruelty… I didn’t need it in my love life. I did’t need her temper, her impatience, her combativeness, her cruelty when angry. I’m done with that. I’m done with her.
I just want someone…. nice.
We’ll get back to that.
Have you read the latest research in fighting off Dementia? The loss of cognitive thinking as we age? Learn new skills… music, languages, hobbies. Change things up. Walk a different path, spend a day writing with your opposite hand. Break out of old habits.
What do these things do? They create new pathways, new braincells… the stress of learning and doing new things creates growth. Even in our brains.
The latest research in anti-aging? Exercise. And not just light exercise, heavy lifting. If you want to reverse your age at the genetic level, resistance training, High Intensity workouts have a huge impact.
Just like gym class when we were young… vigorous exercise was proven to help our bodies grow, get stronger, be healthier.
Speaking of school days… How did we get smarter? They stressed our minds with difficult math problems, learning more vocabulary, new music, more complicated concepts in science. We became deeper thinkers by exploring ever more complex ideas, writings, and philosophies.
From our teens to adulthood we encounter and dealt with increasingly more difficult decisions… we became wiser… but only if we push through.
We grow by pushing through.
-Do not pray for an easier life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one — Bruce Lee
Soo… Do difficult relationships make us better people?
I just wanted some one… nice… kind… easy. But I loved her. And had promised to cherish her.
HER
I’m not advocating staying in an abusive relationship. I had to spend some time reflecting on our future and what I really wanted. It clearly wasn’t going to be easy.
That was 15 years ago. She is a better woman now.. and I’m a better man. Our life is fantastic. But it wasn’t an easy path.
Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be.
