“There are always two
choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s
easy.”
Opportunity is everywhere. And
in the stillness, you can often hear it knocking. Even if the sound is faint. As
this year ends, I have been in thoughtful reflection of the opportunity before
me.
See, not very long ago, rock bottom became the solid
foundation for which I began to rebuild my life. Finding myself in a new city,
managing a new home and demanding career, while being the provider for a brood
of small children has been daunting.
There are days where on my list of things to accomplish,
written in my unmistakable handwriting, I write a reminder.
“Don’t forget to breathe.”
A message to myself to get up each day and be present. A
daily box to check in my list of tasks.
Of course, I didn’t intend to be alone at this juncture in
my life. No one gets married to get divorced.
And my intentions were never to be the only one. To clean
the house. To pay the bills. To do second grade math at the kitchen table. To
potty train a little boy. To be judge, jury and executioner when one daughter
pulls the other’s hair.
There is a popular song on
today’s radio that speaks right into my heart every time it plays.
“You are more than the choices that you've made.
You are more than the sum of
your past mistakes.
You are more than the
problems you create.
You've been remade.”
That’s exactly right. I am more
than the choices I’ve made. The decisions that led me to where I am today will
not define me in the future.
My life adds to more than the
sum of my past mistakes. My failures make me a success story.
I create more than the problems
assigned under my name. I create love. I create life.
I have been remade. The
opportunity to begin anew. To have a second chance to do it right the first
time.
When opportunity began knocking
at my door, it was faint. But gradually, it became stronger. And now, the sound
has become the voice in my head.
If it hadn’t been for my past
choices, mistakes and problems – I would never be able to appreciate the awesome
gift before me.
The gift to bend. Not break.
The gift to fail again. This
time under my own volition. And succeed. Survive.
To be remade.
The gift of the daisy.
“To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know
who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to
get there.” ~Kofi Annan
Dance with me,
~Daisy
