Take heart -- and keep on living

I am remembering a song by one of my favorite singer/songwriters, John Denver. The words talk about the fluctuations in life. It goes something like: "Some days are diamonds, some days are stones ... Some times the hard times, just won't leave me alone ... Sometimes the cold wind, leaves a chill in my bones ... Some days are diamonds, some days are stones."

All I can say, in the words of the infamous Cowardly Lion, is "Ain't it the troot ... Ain't it the troot."

Seems like there are times when a person just sails along, catching every favorable breeze that blows and coming out ahead at the end of the day. At other times, however, it seems that the wind catches your sails and turns you about when you least expect it. Waves crash and sails rip and blue skies on the horizon are hard to find.

Kind of reminds me of another song, which states "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug." Ouch!

Truth is, we live life these days at a dizzying pace. And everyone around lives life at a dizzying pace. We miss a step here and there and, just maybe, we stumble and fall. Sometimes, in our race to do things better and in a more timely fashion, we miss the mark and our tasks seem to overwhelm our intentions; even to laugh at our seeming lack of ability.

And frankly, some folks seem to want us to falter, or fall, or, ultimately, to fail. They may even throw obstacles in our path to better facilitate a misstep, and that's unfortunate for them. They are the ones who will lose in the end.

But take heart and hold to hope. Unlike that bug splattered on the windshield, we live through those difficult times. The wind and waves that toss us about finally subside; we gain control of the sail and rudder, and we tack back to the safety of a secluded harbor or on toward the blue skies and sunshine of some distant horizon.

And we go on doing what we do best -- we go on living.