If you read my earlier entry on "Expectation vs Acceptance" - (http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/01/expectation-vs-acceptance.html), you'll probably know that my mum broke her wrist from a fall 2 years ago.
After the accident, she kept wondering how and why she fell.
Some people she spoke to suggested that she seek some master's help.
For my sisters and I, each time she asked, I would either keep quiet, or I would tell her, "It's over already. Important thing is you're okay now."
My eldest sister told her she's fortunate that she only broke her wrist - a minor injury, cos' it could have been worst.
How true!
But does my mum listen?
Of course not!
Did I tell you my sisters and I are 'invisible'?
Besides, which human would want to listen to boring facts, even if it's for our own good?
But sensational, spicy, juicy stories?
Oh yeah! Count us in anytime!
It's only Humans' nature.
One day, a year and a half later, she brought up the subject again.
This time, I was not so sympathetic.
For the past one and a half years, she had been saying the same thing over and over again, like a worn-out tape recorder - to the point that now, my sisters simply ignore her.
Ha! Ha! Now she gets a taste of her own medicine ... Ha! Ha!
Anyway, it's been one and a half years and the 'mystery' of her fall hasn't been solved.
I was determined to 'solve' it.
So that day, when she brought up the issue the one hundred and millionth time, okay I exaggerated, but you get the idea.
Anyway, I said this to her,
"Does it help? Knowing the reason behind your fall. So what if you know the reason? What difference does it make? Does it mean that by knowing the reason, you can reverse things, that you wrist will be as it was before? What's done cannot be undone. What are you going to do about it? It's past and over already. Accept, move on. Important thing is you're fine and your wrist has recovered. Like sis said, you're fortunate that you only broke your wrist. It could have been worst. Some people become paralysed or die after a fall, you did not. Be thankful! The floor was wet and slippery, you were careless, you rushed, you fell. That's all to it. Learn from the incident : not to rush about so much. Walk slowly and carefully, especially when the floor is wet and slippery."
Guess what?!
'Mystery' solved! I haven't heard her mentioning that topic since. (Hee Hee)
You see, the thing is, whatever that happens to us in life is to teach us, to show us the way.
Important thing is : What are we going to do about it? What can we learn from it?
Many people meet with setbacks, misfortunes or failures in life, or accidents, terminal illnesses etc, and they keep asking why; sinking deeper into sadness and depression and self-pity.
The point is, Does it help?
A yoga master once said this to me, "You had a hard life."
My reply to him was, "Depends on how you look at it."
Life to me is neither hard nor easy. It just is.
It depends on how we 'look' at it.
Just as I wrote in my entry on 'Happiness Is' - (http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2006/12/happiness-is.html ) -
'A beautiful world can only be seen through the eyes of a happy heart.'
If we have a happy heart, the world will always be and appear beautiful.
It's up to us to see beyond the imperfections of life and discover how perfect life actually is.
To me, Life has a way of settling itself.
Not that we slump back, give up and do nothing.
Some don't even try.
Rather, we make an effort, we continue to do our best, whatever we can, and at the same time, allow the situation/life to unfold.
We accept.
I must add that my mum is a very strong woman.
I admire her cos' at her age, when she broke her right wrist, and her being right-dominant, she trained herself to use her left hand.
She made her left hand so strong that it's as efficient and effective as her right.
She may question why and how she fall, but at the same time, she accepts, and made the effort.
Likewise, I accept.
I accept whatever Life 'throws' at me.
I won't say it's easy.
But I feel that it's through the setbacks, the failures, the falls, the stumbles and the obstacles that I learn;
That helps me to grow and mature, and makes me who, what and how I am today.
If I fail a particular lesson, I know it'll come back again and again until I learn whatever that's needed to be learned.
I never let life get me down.
If Life throws tomatoes at me, I make ketchup out from it. Or, tomato soup.
It's healthy, prevents cancer and packed with lots of vitamin C.
If Life piles dung on me, I grow flowers and fruit trees.
I get to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and the nutrients of the fruits.
Very healthy!
This, to me, is Life.
The way I 'see' it.
"Instead of complaining about darkness, why not light a candle."
.
.
.
"Know that things are happening perfectly the way they should,
No matter how imperfect it seems."
"In life, Focus on the journey, and not the destination;
For the lessons lie in the journey, and Not the destination."
"Whatever that's meant to happen, will happen
No matter how you try to prevent it from happening;
Whatever that's not meant to happen, will not happen
No matter how you try to make it happen.
So accept, and not resist,
Surrender and not control;
Let go, and let Nature be."
