Pennies from Heaven

(Can they look any more bizarre?)

"Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven..."

I've found quite often, that life is a matter of perspective. Laugh if you will, but over the course of my 30 years (and I'm beginning to be able to see that number as young), I've noticed that the good and the bad parts of life ebb and flow in a sort of pattern. Life will be good for a while, overwhelmingly good sometimes giving you the feeling that you've conquered your demons and are at the very least treading the water of life. The good dies out though as a string of bad inevitably takes it place. The bad stuff lingers, building upon itself making us all say "when it rains, it pours" as though we understand the ancient wisdom behind our string of bad luck.

So recently, I've felt as though I cannot catch a break. The myriad of things gone wrong lately has, at times, had me feeling quite blue. My lowest point would have to be just yesterday when I quite literally could have come home and pulled the covers up over my head and shut out the world. It was in the car on my drive home that something occurred to me. Even at the low point I had found myself; even when all I desired to do was escape from reality for a time... even then I knew my bad luck was temporary. I had caught myself thinking "man, I just need to ride this one out and then things can get back to normal around here."

There are a couple of things here. First, I know my bad luck is temporary. Life gives you ups and downs and it's amazing what you can get used to if you're willing to overlook the small things and focus on what you really have. Secondly, and most importantly.... what if life isn't supposed to "get back to normal?" What if I've been overlooking the obvious? Life gives us lessons, we learn from them (hopefully) and then move on, a little older and a little wiser. What if treading water until my life can go back to the way it was just isn't good enough?

I've been wishing for an umbrella to shelter me from this downpour of bad luck. Perhaps I should have been wishing for one so I could turn it upside down and catch the pennies. Negative experiences are a chance for growth and it is far too easy to forget that. So, I'll sit back and examine my life and maybe.... just maybe... I'll be smart enough to catch the lessons that need to be learned.