Day 79 of 99 Days

“Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us more effectively. Look for the learning.”

― Louisa May Alcott

I believe that difficult things happen so we can learn from them. I don’t believe this because I know it to be true – how can I? – but because, a long time ago, I decided it’d be the best way to look at life. In my twenties I had a bit of bad luck involving a nasty life-threatening blood clot and a chimneystack that landed on my head. At the time I was studying at Oxford and quite miserable. I loved the subject but the atmosphere was highly pressured (one of my friends dropped out, another had a nervous breakdown) and I soon lost my sense of self.

When those two accidents happened, instead of feeling sorry and wishing they hadn’t, I decided to see them as wakeup calls. It was time to stop taking Oxford University so seriously. It was time to put things into perspective. I started having fun, making more friends, helping other stressed-out students, doing yoga. I started writing fiction.

When it comes to life lessons, some of us only need small nudges and others off us need to be knocked – literally in my case – over the head. Either way, when life isn’t going the way you want it to, looking for the lesson in it can be a good place to start.

Pic: the cast of Little Women (1994)