Just sitting here for some reason a very influential person in my life came to mind. He was an English teacher that I had in high school. He was a good friend, mentor, and philosopher. He had a very profound statement "Life is a sh!t sandwich. In order to make it palatable you need to take it in little bites." I am not sure if this is a common statement but this is the first time I heard it.
At the time I heard this statement I did not realize the impact. I just thought it was hilarious. As I went through life I had many problems as I am sure that we all do. I looked at these problems as being daunting and insurmountable. I blew these up into huge behemoths. It dawned on me that I was indeed full of sh!t.
I made these problems what my life was about. It was who I was and who I am to a great extent. It was life. It was my sh!t sandwich. I realized that I did not make these define me. I needed to take small bites. My sh!t sandwich was indeed palatable. If you will, it was a huge change in the context of my life. The context I was living in was that my life sucked because I had problems that I could not deal with. The new context was that my life did not suck. I had problems like everyone else. I was not alone. If I took one thing at a time and deal with them as they happen and not let them develop into something so daunting my live would be very rich and fulfilling.
My suggestion is that every ones life is indeed a sh!t sandwich. Take small bites and live a more satisfying life.
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Whether I agree with you or not my friend, I thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI want to acknowledge you and commend you for having the courage to face your challenges, whether all together or one at a time. I also think your English professor's characterization about life is funny. Although, I sense a large dose of cynicism in it and that is where I pause for a better look.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm out to create a life for myself that is amazing, the last thing I'd want it to be is 2 slices of bread with an undesirable center. Regardless of the size of the bite, you'd see me tossing my cookies every time. :)
Ask yourself, if life could be anything you want - anything that you could create, would you want it to be a yucky sandwich - OR - would a tasty piece of pie work better? If you choose the stinky, smelly sandwich, that's exactly what you'll get. Then I won't blame you for not wanting to take any more than a tiny bite at a time - if you can even stomach that.
If you could create a life of your choosing, what role would you get to play in that life? Would you be the guy nibbling at a disgusting sandwich or some cool dude that offers the world something huge and then takes an awesome vacation with his family in his favorite part of the world - in his Mercedes - and then returns home to go on the morning news to talk about his latest book?
I just made all that up and it sounds inspiring to me. You can create whatever you want too - for yourself.
Don't settle, darn it. Create something, declare it and take action.
Now go get a life!