Life is made of ups and downs, twists and turns. No event lasts forever. Something wonderful turns into something awful. Something awful brings you something wonderful.
Once I used my airline miles I had diligently saved to book a staycation at a nice beach condo. Wonderful, right? The next day, as I excitedly walked toward the beach with a folded beach chair and my tote bag filled with drinks, snacks, and a book, I slipped on a small puddle by the condo pool and fell hard on my right knee in front of a bunch of onlookers. I slowly got up as increasing pain set in, then hobbled to the front desk where they said they’d send up a wheelchair. Awful, right?
My sister just happened to be attending a meeting nearby (a good thing) and drove me to the clinic where they did an X-ray. It was a contusion, and there was no fracture—just pain, swelling, and a big blue bruise. I suppose that was good news. She helped me pick up a pair of crutches at the pharmacy and food from a restaurant. The rest of my stay consisted of icing my knee, moving around in a wheelchair, and hopping from my bed to the kitchen or bathroom using my left leg. I never made it to the beach.
It took a long time for the bruising to come down after I returned home, replaced eventually by yellow discoloration and an atrophied leg. Whenever I walked, it felt like I was dragging a ball and chain. That was how heavy my right leg felt because my whole body had to compensate and haul it around. I would be exhausted and sweaty from just walking. Meanwhile, my good knee was getting overused and causing pain. I spent the next six months rehabilitating both knees, feeling frustrated not knowing when I would be able to walk normally again. The good thing was the condo paid for all my medical expenses.
In the process, I learned all kinds of knee strengthening exercises. The same exercises also helped strengthen my hips. And while the knee accident felt like a curse, the blessing was I became very good at keeping my knees strong. This has been paying off as I am getting older, where I can now do an Asian squat and get up with ease.
A curse became a blessing again this year. I started suffering from severe bloating. I couldn’t eat or drink without feeling extremely full. I’d burp even on an empty stomach. I also lost precious weight from not being able to eat normally. Medication made it worse. So I went online and tried what others said worked for them. I had been diagnosed with gastritis years ago, and people were saying coconut oil helped with that. So I began taking a spoonful of it twice a day. After a couple of days, I noticed while my bloating did not lessen, my dry skin became very soft and smooth. My hair went from dull to shiny. My right wrist pain that would bother me was also gone. I actually found out later I did not have gastritis, so no wonder the medication did not work—which was what led me to take coconut oil that ended up giving me other health benefits.
Then I discovered lemon water helped with moving things along the digestive tract. After a few days of that, I noticed I did not wake up choking from post nasal drip. I also felt immune to the usual sniffles and nasal congestion that would beset me. My teeth did become very sensitive so instead of drinking a cup of lemon water, I used an eye dropper to put a few drops of it directly into the back of my throat to protect my tooth enamel. What was supposed to be good for my digestion turned into what I now use to successfully treat other ailments.
I am still trying different things for my digestion, but the point is, awful events would give way to blessings and wonderful events would give way to curses, back and forth and back.
What do we do then? Know that the tide of ebb and flow is the nature of this world. Blessings and curses are both in disguise. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what they appear to be and really are. Every event will be followed by an opposite. By the time you realize something was truly wonderful, something awful has arrived. By the time you finish dealing with the awful, something wonderful is appearing. There is no telling when and how long any of this takes place.
Therefore, enjoy the ups as much as you can because they will not last, and during the downs, know they too will not last and ups are heading your way. Let go of demanding an event to be anything other than it is. Eventually all events will give way to something else. Relax and just watch it all unfold before you, with interest, curiosity, and if you can, amusement.
Check out my book The Power of Zero Expectations: 7 Steps to Freedom from Disappointment on Amazon.
FRANCES KU 