Our path of education leads us to a false conclusion. That as we graduate, from whatever grade from preK through college, we are complete. We know what we need to. The learning stops with the end of our schooling. Life is so much different than these finite milestones of accomplishment.
Life challenges us with new situations regularly. Ones that we are not prepared for. Many times, not having the skills or experience to easily navigate what is in front of us. No matter what our age. They appear sometimes as obstacles. Other times as opportunities. Always creating detours in our days, weeks or months. For by their nature, they are always unexpected.
We add on top of all this our dreams, hopes, and desires. Stated clearly with ease. Without clearly understanding the effort & struggle needed to realize them. Or things taken away from us in an instant through accident, death, separation, or illness. Disrupting our daily routines, essentially destroying life as we knew it while we still are breathing.
Necessary through all of this is our need to adapt, evolve, and endure. Where each new situation teases us with the admonition that something new must be learned. Something now must change within us. Demanding we break through our self centeredness to help us see, that we must change in some way to move forward.
We repeatedly make the mistake to foolishly hope that what’s in front of us will disappear or change to our wishes & selfish endings. Only with age do we begin to see we only have control of ourselves in all new situations. Both good and bad ones for situations rarely change. Only we can in the moment.
We must adapt, regroup and move on. Requiring us to change in some way through either new learning, broader perspectives, less emotional reaction or much more effort. For new situations always require new paths for us to navigate them successfully.
Works in progress is who we are. Never complete. Often challenged. Forever learning. Making many mistakes while hopefully creating a few wins along the way.