life may not always seem solvable, but it is entertaining, and your dreams...they sparkle

Let's start out by first agreeing and establishing that sometimes life sucks. We face adversity, the right person says the wrong thing at the right time, your favorite cardigan rips, shin splints take over your ability to venture to the nearest Subway, etc. From the little things to the big things and all that falls in between, we can all confess that not every moment of our life is a happy one. Today, and in fact, most of this week was full of favorite-cardigan-tearing/kick me in my weak spot/is this ever going to end moments...and so this evening I came home to take a break. So I put in the only movie in our collection I don't think I've seen yet, All About Steve, a romantic comedy about a crossword puzzle designer, her love for the written word, and her pursuit of love. In the movie, the crossword puzzle designer often quotes the 3 requirements for a great crossword puzzle: "Is it solvable, is it entertaining, does it sparkle?" Toward the end of the movie, real life disaster happen, and as she is coming out of a collapsed coal mine, she reflects on judging life's worth and greatness in the same way as the crossword puzzle: "is it solvable, is it entertaining, and does it sparkle?" So when facing any adversity and you feel that the problems in front of you are too much or too difficult, this simple and almost funny reflection perhaps will help you to realize that although life doesn't generally have the triumphant background music at just the right time like a well developed movie, it's going to be ok.

In fact, it's important that you realize it's going to come out alright. But, on the flipside of the coin, I was reminded today that it is also okay to hurt. For those of us with massive amounts of pride, sometimes it hurts to hurt. Others of us feel like by burdening others with our burdens, we only hurt others we love more and don't accomplish anything positive through sharing our struggles. These perceptions are in fact, untrue. A beautiful friend, in listening to my burdens today, shared with me Proverbs 14:10, "Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy." Everyone has their pain. We are each influenced by different events in different ways, and what only slightly hurts one will be heartwrenching for another facing a similar situation. Don't be afraid to hurt. God says there is a time for all things, including a time to mourn (Ecclesiates 3: 1-8). But, in balance, He also tells us there is a time to be silent, a time to embrace and refrain from embracing, and a time to dance. So dance when you can, mourn when you have to, and embrace others when they need it most.

And also to those of you who have pride or are afraid to burden someone with your burdens, remember we all have a desire to connect with one another. We are all battling something. Often I find that by sharing what we've been through, we help educate each other on the best and worst ways to approach situations. Also, none of us are perfect, and by sharing our struggles it reinforces the fact that in a world filled with so many hurting, there is hope, there is triumph, and we have others that are in this with us. So give your team a high 5, grant yourself some down time, and then get back at it. We've got mouths to feed, hearts to heal, and souls to save (and some of us even have ripped cardigans to repair ;)).

Life may not always seem solvable (take it one moment at a time), but it is often entertaining (learn to laugh at your mistakes), and my, how your dreams do sparkle.