People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer the suffering that is familiar. — Thich Nhat Hanh.
I know people who are constantly miserable. I bet you do as well. You ask them, “How are things going?” And you soon regret asking the question. You hear about their health ailments, financial problems, or how overworked they are. Their suffering is real but the only thing consistent with their problems is their life is miserable. Like the quote above you wonder, “Are they ever happy?” We want to empathize, but consistent suffering wears the listener out.
Megan Devine says that, “Some things cannot be fixed. They can only be carried.” I thus think when we are going through a rough stretch isn’t it better to concentrate on how we carry the ball of suffering than worrying about being tackled by our streak of bad luck. If we carry our suffering on the inside, and on the outside we reflect the joy of life aren’t we better off?
A psychiatrist probably would disagree with me, but too much complaining only emphasizes the negative. Search for joy in every single moment. And if that fails grab a cookie and in that spirit take a few minutes to enjoy Allison Krauss and Yo-Yo-Ma thanks to my friend Garrett Mitchell.
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