Extraordinary Destiny

Have you ever been in a situation where it seems that everything is against you--where even though your intentions are genuinely good, the world seems to be saying "absolutely not" at every turn?

Currently I find myself going through one of those times. Everything seems to be working against me. As a writer I can't seem to pen the right words in the right order, nor does life beyond the pen want to cut me a break. But as I continue to swim against the rapids, I'm becoming ever more aware of the tiny successes, the little things we tend to leave unrecognized when life is going well for us.

This change in perspective came when I realized how dismal my journal was beginning to look. I had been reporting on the progress of things every day as I usually do, but over time that progress was becoming much more regress and a black cloud seemed to permeate the pages, which is by far how I want my journal to tell the story of my life.

Then one day while I was going through Pinterest I rediscovered this quote from Clive Staples (C. S.) Lewis: "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." It reminded me yet again that by focusing on what wasn't working I was missing out on opportunities to see what was changing in my life, keeping me going, and helping me grow. Did I like the fact that my plans weren't progressing? No. But did that mean there weren't good things happening in other aspects of life? No. Thinking about this, I reminded myself of the good habit I had somehow let go of over the passing months, and that called for a course correction.

I shifted my focus, both in writing and life, and picked up that old habit again. I began searching for the moments in each day where I merely saw good happen, and recorded them in my journal alongside my personal reports. The moments didn't require my personal involvement (though that was the preference), I simply had to be a witness to them. Sometimes they were tiny things; other times they were much larger. But every day I had to find something. The more of them I recorded, the more the black cloud faded and my resolve strengthened.

That change in perspective and re-adoption of habit has helped and encouraged me in my figurative swim against the river. I'm seeing other parts of my life that are progressing and parts of myself that are growing stronger. While I see no lull in the tempest for me yet, knowing that good is still going on around me helps me to know that smooth water will come again, and hopefully when I get there I will find myself ready and excited for the feasts and battles that lie ahead.