Most of us live our lives silently hoping and praying that we can successfully negotiate the next wave to hit us. Some of us become overwhelmed and sink into depression while others ride the crest of the wave, hardly noticing that it could sink them at any moment. Others, like myself, whilst hardly riding the crest, see adversity as an opportunity to learn and take on new challenges which will hopefully start bearing some fruit.
I was recently allowed to help bring up my 13-year-old Grandson Max after his Dad passed. Being an older lady, I initially felt that I couldn’t possibly rise to the occasion and provide him with the kind of love and support that his parents could, never mind the energy that was required.
Fast forward nine months, and here we are: Max happily ensconced in a school nearby, his Mum, well, and back with us; after battling addiction for many years.
So, from living in our small garden flat, semi—comfortable in retirement, but lacking something important in our lives, hubby at 84 was a bit apprehensive, and myself, even more so.
Little did we know how much this precious child would impact our lives for the better.
I had long forgotten the feeling of joy and had accepted that I would no longer experience this heady emotion, after all, it was what ageing was all about. How wrong I was.
Not only are my autumn years filled with positive emotions I haven’t felt in forever, but I’ve accepted that I need to be fully employed to help ‘keep the show on the road’!
Returning to full-time employment in a world I no longer understand, where tech advances have changed our lives exponentially, can be scary, to say the least. Imagine my surprise to discover that folk are only too happy to explain stuff that would normally go straight over my head. The positive response to my total lack of knowledge has filled me with a determination to do the very best I can in a new business venture which just popped up out of the blue.
The fact that someone out there trusts my ability to equip myself with the skills required to complete the tasks at hand fills me with joy and gratitude.
So when life hands you lemons, you know what comes next? I’m busy making vats of lemonade and loving every second.
Happiness often arrives when we least expect it and often comes disguised as adversity. Don’t close up, embrace new acquaintances who hold out a helping hand, they also need to feel better about themselves.
Before we realise what is happening around us, joy starts to seep into the lives of those we’re connected to. I never realised just how very infectious, happiness is until I saw firsthand how it works.
When that wave arrives as it surely will, and threatens to sink you, do everything you can to stay afloat, ride it out; for you never know where it’ll take you.
Lorna Philip Enslin
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