Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
I know you’re thinking – “What a lame clique!” Not jaded much, are we? Every cloud really does have a silver lining IF you choose to look at it that way. Bad things are going to happen. Let’s take the worst possible – the death of a loved one. How could THAT have a silver lining? Well, it could make you appreciate the living more. It could have ended their suffering. It could teach you how precious life is. You get to find the silver lining.
As some of you know, I have arthritis in my hips and two years ago I had a hip replacement. If any of you have arthritis, you know it sucks. It comes and goes. It can make it hard to sleep at night or do the things you like to do. It is a cloud. What’s the silver lining for anyone with a physical issue? For anyone dealing with their body betraying them?
I really believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. If I can get through a hip replacement, I can get through anything. It reaffirmed my belief in the power of discipline – all the hard work I had put into being fit made my recovery a million times easier. It gave me empathy – I try to have patience now if other people are moving slow or struggling. They may have a physical issue I know nothing about.
Sometimes the silver lining comes years later and you can’t even see it. I got a call several months ago from the Editor of Arthritis Today magazine. She came across my blog entries about the hip surgery and wanted to feature me in the magazine. Well, I’m on the cover of the July/August issue. How cool is that?
What cloud is in your life now? How can you find the silver lining? Is there a lesson the cloud has to teach you? Blue skies are wonderful, but they don’t hold our growth. It’s the challenges that shape us. Maybe you can’t even see the silver lining right now – it may come years in the future. But the path to a joyful life is looking for it. It’s there, I promise.
