I read an interesting quote by Albert Camus, a writer and philosopher, that said “All too often we know we are happy only when we no longer are.” I had to think about this a while. It sounded strange at first but then I began to see its wisdom.
Keeping this quote in mind, I then contrasted being happy with what happens when things are not going well, when we are frustrated, or when we aren’t very sure where life will take us tomorrow. We immediately know when this is the case.
So what happens to us “in between”? Think of those certain individuals who never seem to get too high or too low regardless of their circumstance.
I have found that they simply “keep going”. My parents kept going. Their generation kept going. They never overanalyzed their circumstance. They just kept going. They were not overly emotional. They were steady. Consistent. Every day.
Did they hurt? I am sure they did. Did they get frustrated? Many times I’m sure.
They had an idea of the future they wanted to create. But never did they try to rush to get there because they understood that everything takes time and hard work. Life for them wasn’t a game that was meant to be won. Life was a journey that took time to unfold. Their values, their faith, and their religion served them well in helping them be both patient and consistent.
When you keep going, you simply keep pushing and trying to get through the next day. They knew that the situation they faced today couldn’t affect the way they approached their daily lives.
The future for them was simply the result of what they did yesterday and today. Never did they complicate it further. Why? Because they understood that they couldn’t change things any more than by doing something each day to move ahead.
We think we can control and plan our future down to the smallest detail. We can’t. Let’s give up this thinking and try to keep going each day to continue to get a little closer to where we want to go.
You must admit, it’s an old fashioned way that still works.