This too Shall Pass

[The first and only song that came to my mind with this post is Skyscraper by Demi Lovato.] 

Our lives are made up of a countless number of moments. Moments that bring happiness, sadness, fear, anger, frustration, you name the emotion and I know there’s a moment to match.

Moments that are filled with accomplishments, tragedy, and the unexpected. Sometimes we see these moments coming after days, weeks, months of work or sacrifice. Other times these moments bring us to our knees with no warning and we are left in the rubble of it all trying to fit the pieces back together.

All of these moments make up our lives but most often the moments that crumble us are the ones that define us. The moments where we are left in the wreckage are the moments where sometimes there seems to be no way out. We struggle as we get back up, sometimes to only fall back down again but eventually we rise and regain footing. The first few steps are often unsteady. Sometimes we take two steps forward only to take three steps back. These moments are the ones we often use to best define ourselves as well. After all, the moments of wreckage showcase who we really are and how we fight to get back up.

Eventually, we will fall again but we’ve gotten up once before, surely we can do it again. But, how do we truly move forward? The age old cliche saying of “this too shall pass,” “one foot in front of the other,” and so on are the ones that are most often told to us when we fall. We laugh or cry when we hear them and ask that others not use these cliche sentiments while speaking with us as they sound disingenuous or generalized to describe our pain, anger, frustration, and/or sadness. We get angry that this is all others can say to us in those initial moments but as time passes we realize that those sayings exist for a reason. They are right after all. That moment does in fact pass. We do in fact regain footing by putting one foot in front of the other. Life then moves forward as it must.

Here’s the thing though. Don’t rush the process of it all. It will pass when it’s supposed to. There is no timeline for all of this. It depends on the situation and the person. It could pass in a few days, few weeks, months or even years. You can’t push to get there when you want to. It will all happen when it should. That’s the worst part of it all. You’ll want to get there faster than you should sometimes but that’s not how it works.

The moment will pass in time. All you have to do is give it time. Always easier said than done, but remember you’ve done it before and you’ll do it again. Just get up, put one foot in front of the other. Most important of all, remember, this too shall pass.

[Photo by Jordan Benton from Pexels]