On the other side of every difficulty lies a new beginning of a better life – you just need to cross over
– Ronit Baras
Many times, when we face difficulties, we look for ways to ease our load. The first thing that comes to mind is “Change your place, change your luck”. Although this is a Jewish proverb, I think most people want to believe in it, regardless of their faith. This is why people change jobs, move to another place and (unfortunately) switch to a new relationship so easily.
People want to believe that changing their address will change their life, when in fact it is their attitude that needs to change.
Scratched life
It is amazing to go over our lives and discover there is a story that repeats over and over again as if we were stuck in the same situation forever. It is as if our life is a broken record (remember those?) that skips every time it gets to a scratch and goes back to the same place!
We carry many “scratches” on our hearts. Our life circumstances, our upbringing, the experiences and the external influences brought us to where we are today.
Now, when you have a scratched record (OK, a DVD with a burned spot), it is tempting to just throw it away and buy a new one, thinking the new one will be perfect.
In life, however, we take our “scratches” with us wherever we go, so before long, our new situation starts to squeak and replay the same old thing too.
If we have a “scratch” regarding bosses, it will come with us when we start to a new job. If we have a “scratch” in our relationship skills, we will “play” it after a while in a new relationship. If we have a money “scratch”, we will have the same issues, no matter how much money we make and how many times we get promoted.
Until we make a real change, we will carry with us the attitude that brought us to the difficulty in the first place.
Fortunately, in life it is possible to fix our “scratches”.
Unfortunately, most people perceive difficulties as pain that needs to be avoided, when in fact, they are the universe’s way of telling us to change course. There is a beautiful story that explains how the universe sends us messages and that it is our choice to either listen or get hit.
The Brick
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from among parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door!
The young man slammed on the brakes and backed up to the spot from which the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car in anger, grabbed the nearest kid, pushed him up against a parked car and shouted, “What was that all about and who are you? What on Earth do you think you’re doing? That is a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”
The young boy was apologetic. “Please, mister, please. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do”, he pleaded, “I threw the brick because no one else would stop…”
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the boy pointed to a spot just around a parked car.
“It’s my brother”, he said, “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up”.
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the young executive tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts.
A quick look told him everything was going to be okay…
“Thank you and may God bless you”, the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shaken up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but he never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!
The universe whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we do not have time to listen, it has to throw a brick at us.
My dear kids,
Whenever you face difficulties, I want you to know that the universe is communicating with you and you always, always have the choice to either listen or get hit hard. If your first reaction is to leave, go away, say goodbye or quit, remember we all live in the same story over and over again until we make a real change. If you do not overcome your difficulty, it will appear in your life again and again.
You are probably asking, “Mom, how do I know if I’ve made a real change?”
Well, if something happens to you over and over again, when it feels like you are in the same story, you haven’t!
First, if you understand that all those difficulties are the universe’s way to communicate with you, the rest of your life will be to find out what it is trying to say…
Good luck, my kids. The more you listen, the more you will hear and the easier it will be to cross over to a better life.
Lots of love,
Mom
This post is part of the series Things I Want My Kids to Know:
- Things I want my kids to know: I will come!
- Things I Want My Kids to Know: Shoot!
- Things I Want My Kids to Know: The Door is Always Open
- Things I Want My Kids to Know: Leave the “How” To the Universe
- Things I Want My Kids to Know: Rise Up!
- Things I Want My Kids to Know: Listen!
- 100 Tips for My Children