I have always loved fireworks. They are colorful, surprising, exciting, glittering and sparkling. They come in different shapes, sizes, texture, hues and brightness. You see stars, flowers, circles, dots, lines, spirals, spurts of light, waterfalls, luminous streams rising up and falling down. If you get too close they might even seem a bit scary, you have the impression you could get burned. When they die out, you experience a sensation of slight sadness, as it happens when you see something beautiful last for a short time and then fade away, disappear into nothingness. It may even happen, every now and then, that a few fail to shoot up and display their potential. In such case, you feel disappointed.
It is a bit like life: So many facets, so many situations, so many feelings. After enjoying the show, a comparison occurred to me. Thinking of how different the fireworks had been, I thought of my three best friends. Three ladies whose appearance is totally different: One is a European petite blond, another is a tall beautiful African-American, the third is a Junoesque Caribbean type. Different countries of origin, different physical appearance, different life stories, different present situations. One of them suffered in an abusive marriage, got divorced and is now happily married and leading a pleasant relaxing, serene life. Another also had marital problems, although of a different kind, got a divorce and is now newly engaged. The third one endured a lot throughout her life (although she has also been greatly loved); she is now a widow and is still suffering from various circumstances.
Thinking of them, an image comes to my mind. I see a tree from which several branches depart. They have all the same starting point and some similitudes such as the language, a college education, all having had similar careers, all having been married, all having enjoyed a comfortable life. Yet, although they start from the same trunk, the branches on a tree grow and develop differently. One is long, another is short, one is thick and another is thin, one is straight, another is crooked, one grows a lot of leaves, another has just a few and the other has none at all. But the one thing they all have in common is that none of them ever broke. And never did my friends.
They went through the storms of life and survived. The difficulties they had to face were neither the same nor did they have the same impact and gravity. Yet... a challenge is a challenge, no matter its “size.” While you are faced with a difficult situation, your attitude, your reaction, your feelings are influenced in a similar way. The final results may vary, and they usually do. We are all aware of how different life outcomes are in people’s existence.
But what is important is to never surrender to setbacks, to never accept defeats. Any setback is just a temporary failure in your plan. If you don’t accept it as final, you always have the opportunity to “do” something about it, to change it, to turn the result upside down. How do I see my friends’ present situations in this respect? The happily married one is “grateful” for what she has been granted, the newly engaged one “appreciates” what she presently has, the widow “accepts” her current struggle as part of life and keeps working toward improving her circumstances, with unflinching faith and trust.
They are my “heroes.” I look up to them and perceive them as luminous examples of possible ways of facing life. Many people who have everything to be happy, are not “grateful” because they feel entitled. Some who have reached a peaceful situation don’t appreciate it and look for something more. Finally, the ones who are still challenged, don’t want to accept the situation, they resist, they blame, they resent. They make their lives hell.
Thanks, fireworks, for the beautiful show. Thanks, friends, for your wonderful example of how to live a good life.
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Creative Thinking: Eid Al-Fitr fireworks
