Last week my home computer crashed. Racked with grief over the lost family photos and other documents, I cried… “I’ve lost everything!”
Then I turned on the TV and saw the disaster in Japan.
I quickly realized my loss was small in comparison. I watched people whose homes, family members and businesses were gone. I watched them picking up the pieces, reaching out to others and bravely making the best of a horrific situation.
I was inspired to handle my small loss with grace and maturity.
Later that week, one of my children ended up in the hospital with some possibly serious issues. Again, I experienced feelings of personal loss and tragedy.
These events got me thinking about the different earthquakes that happen in our lives. There are many ways life shakes us up and brings us to our knees. There are many ways our solid ground (the things that make us feel secure) can be washed away and leave us wounded and unsure about our future.
We live with a false sense of security, we think we can control the solid ground under our feet, but there are fault lines all around us and this life, as surely as this earth, is not a static arrangement.
It is always shifting and changing.
In spite of the futility of the effort, we, as human beings, try to resist change and control life. We don’t want to grow old, lose our edge, experience tragedy or lose what we have. We do everything we can to hold onto what is… but this effort can be as futile as trying to resist the force of that tsunami.
We are growing old, like it or not.
Everything we have can be gone in a heartbeat.
Bad things happen to good people.
It is just the nature of life.
Eastern cultures, like that of Japan, tend to understand life’s impermanence and suffering better than we do. They celebrate growing old and embrace change and loss with more wisdom and trust.
The people of Japan have taught us many lessons these past weeks but these four stood out to me…
1) Rejoice in the small blessings:
One lady, whose home and been swept away, wept for joy when her beloved pet was found alive. This inspired me to be grateful for the things in my life that are still okay. No matter what we lose, we still have much to be grateful for. I am choosing to focus on what I have instead of what is gone.
2) Rejoice in the now:
Avoid dwelling on fears about the future. The future is always unknown and uncertain but at this moment you are alive and have hope. I have watched the Japanese people focusing on what they can do right now. Now is the only time you have to take action and make choices to improve your situation. If there is nothing you can do, make the best of the now and deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.
3) Serve others:
One of the most inspiring stories from Japan was about the noodle shop owner who lost his home. Instead of dwelling on his personal loss, he opened his small shop and used his remaining inventory to offer free noodles to all those in need. Focusing on others reconnects you to your highest best self – which brings feelings of peace and self worth. How can you focus on others, in your current situation, instead of feeling sorry for yourself?
4) Practice Trust:
The best lesson I learned from watching our eastern friends, has been to choose unconditional compassion and love for whatever experience shows up in your life.
They have taught me the magic of trusting life.
Many eastern religions teach followers to widen their circle of acceptance and understanding to include the good and the bad experiences of life, welcoming whatever comes to their door.
Budda taught that peace and happiness come when you trust that your journey is always perfect. Everything that happens is here for a perfect reason to teach you a lesson or make you stronger. He encourages followers to look for the lessons and trust that every experience is for your good. The tough experiences are making you who you are.
This rings true with our own spiritual beliefs.
A loving Heavenly Father sent us here to learn and gain wisdom – that is the purpose of our life.
Growth, which develops character, requires scary and painful experiences – but you can trust that you are in God’s hands in every moment and will be okay. He has promised you every experience will be for your good.
You can trust Him.
When you experience loss or other earthquakes in your life, choose to trust God and life. For some reason, this experience is your perfect path. Choose to walk it in faith.
Remember “It is in periods of apparent disaster, that the greatest improvements in human character have been developed.” –Sir Archibald Alison
You will make it through – and be stronger for it.
My Adventures in Love and Life 