When Good Meets Bad
I don’t like it when others warn me about my future. And no, I’m not referring to a bad boyfriend or a money-pit house; I’m talking about generalizations that people say more often than they probably realize. Too many times, I’ve been warned away from my future of “living in the real world” (what does that even mean…) and I wonder if complaining fulfills some sort of unwritten rite of passage. It’s like a person can’t be taken seriously until they’ve lived long enough to hate their life. If someone loves their job, they haven’t been there long enough. If they love their significant other, they’re clearly not married yet; and if they are married, it’s just because there’s no kids yet, or maybe they don’t have enough kids. If they’re not habitually tired and worn out, they don’t work enough and probably don’t contribute to society very well.
This idea gives the illusion that happiness is naivety and that once a person experiences more, the bitterness will inevitably come. But what many seem to forget is that it’s possible to be happy and sad at the same time. Your heart can break for your best friend who just lost her father at the same time that you can laugh in delight when you hold a newborn kitten. Life does not differentiate between the good and the bad. Some days have more bad than good in the same way that some days have more good than bad; but one doesn’t cancel the other out.
This life has a lot of pain in it. There’s disappointments, sudden deaths, illnesses, natural disasters, etc. but there’s also new life, unexpected love, spontaneous laughter and adventures that make this life just as thrilling as it is devastating. An important part of living is being able to embrace the pain alongside the joy.
So if someone ever tries to warn you away from your future for whatever reason, don’t let them scare you. We all know bad things will happen - but so will the good. We all have the strength necessary to withstand the bad just as we have the ability to find and embrace the good. For every valley, there is a mountain - just don’t ever let someone convince you that their own valley needs to be yours too.
Heather Brockell is a Web Designer and Copywriter based out of North Dakota, USA. When she isn’t designing websites or writing, she performs as a professional figure skater and singer in ice shows all around the country.
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