And just when you think it can’t get any worse, the dog dies . . .

You ever have those weeks? No I mean those weeks, when so many things go wrong you almost can’t believe it! NO I mean a really bad week! Seriously, in the last week I’ve had some stuff! Not only did I have the brand new and unexpected experience of having to bail someone out of jail, but it was also accompanied by multiple aggravations, situations and injustices. There were moments of watching my adult children go through things that caused them pain, that I could neither fix nor solve for them. Those are the hardest really, watching it and being powerless to change things for them. Then, to top it all off the family dog died. No really, you can’t make this stuff up. Not only was our beloved beagle the dog that my children grew up with, but that ever-faithful dog even outlasted my marriage to the man I shared him with, and was in a way, my final connection to that relationship.

Oh there was also goodness in the last week, great things actually! There was some wonderful quality time spent with two of my grown children. There were really great times shared with amazing, true and loyal friends. There was happiness for friends, several actually, who seem to have found someone special in their lives. There were even some amazing moments with a friend whom I’ve grown to really care about in a different way that may or may not ever be anything else, but that I wouldn’t have missed for anything. As in any week, there were moments of joy, and moments of pain. There were moments of deep frustration with my life, and moments of great satisfaction with the way things are going, all in the same week.

So we’ve had some hiccups, but at the end of the week, I still found myself feeling grateful and blessed for the things that did go right, and for the lessons learned with those that didn’t. I have an amazing job, wonderful friends, and a kick ass, awesome family. It’s all good, really.

Remember that folks, never regret opening yourself up to other human beings. Even if in the long run, you end up hurt, because at least for a moment you got to feel something real!  Having your heart-broken is not the worst thing in the world, so never let that hold you back. The worse thing is never letting yourself have a chance to have your heart-broken. The worse thing in the world is to harden your heart, to give up, to be at that place were you decided you will never give anyone a chance to hurt you again. Yeah, that’s the worse place to be. I refuse to go there.

Sometimes, after a week like I’ve had, you are left feeling like your life is in limbo, waiting for something that hasn’t happened yet. Limbo is not really a bad place to be. While troubles and heartache are usually a time for great growth, limbo is a time to heal from that growth, a time to regroup. Limbo is also the place where anything is still possible, where neither bad nor good has happened yet.

So this week there was trouble and aggravation. There was fear, confusion, deep sadness, and even mourning for the loss of a furry member of our family. There was good news and there was bad news. This week, there was also love, and connection, friends and family, joy and laughter. There was even dancing. Thank God for the dancing. I wonder what the next week will bring.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life . . . it goes on.” Robert Frost 

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.” Maya Angelou

 

 

Karen Foley

About Karen Foley

Karen Foley, has successfully been writing her blog for the BDN since May 2011. By successful, she means a few people read it, and she has not been sued, stalked or fired since starting it.