The Down Times--A Paragraph a Day

One of the hardest things in life for me is keeping in mind always that there will be down times in life--times when energy and enthusiasm are low, and when things don't seem as bright and positive as they normally do.  After all, I want to be "in charge" of my life, and I want to be able to see things in positive ways and to experience the world with a positive attitude.  But life just isn't like that, and the down days will come, won't they?  I think that one of the biggest challenges with the down days is that other people don't want to allow you to be down--they want to cheer you up, to make you feel "better."  But usually, for me, it's important to allow the down time to be what it is and to ride with it, without dwelling in it and allowing it to overpower me.  It's a difficult balancing act, of course, but an important one.  I think that it can be very damaging to deny our feelings, and that it's important to acknowledge them and listen to them and allow them to teach us whatever it may be that they have to teach.  I know from experience that I can't be cheered up just because someone says "Cheer up," but I can work my way through the down times by accepting them for what they are and working my way through them towards the light at the end of the tunnel, or the sunshine just outside of the fog.