A Blast from the Past.

Below is something I wrote last year. I have read it over several times. It shocks me to no end that somewhere inside of me is someone as positive and hopeful as this.

Here she blows...

Picture, if you will, Life on the mound. Wiping the sweat from its forehead as you tap the dirt off your cleats and cautiously step into the batter's box.
It's the bottom of the ninth. The tying run trots away from second base to get a solid lead off and you take a few warm up swings and straighten your cup.
2 strikes - and in this league, there's no such thing as balls.
Life selects its pitch with a devious smile, winds up...and delivers.
I don't need to tell you how this ends. Why? Because Life is a giant bag of ass face, and it likes to take epic and catastrophic poops on all of us at random intervals of our existences.
So as Life and the rest of its sadistic, demon team parade off to savour yet another victory over the little guy, you are left alone. Because just when you thought you'd seen all the types of pitches the galaxy had to offer, Life went and threw you some crazy bullshit curveball you've never, ever seen in the 26 years you've been playing Life-Ball.
I know I wrote "Words of Inspiration" as the title - don't worry, we're getting there.
After every heart-wrenching disappointment, we all react differently. Yet how we react, is our choice. The most common reaction is to feel beat down, hurt, upset, disappointed. And many of us have a tendency to allow these reactions to control our emotions. Lashing out on the ones we care for most, becoming miserable, losing friends...I, myself, am guilty of all of these, simply because anger and intelligence are like oil and water. There's nothing logical about being angry.
When Life strikes us out, we have a choice. A very important one. We can allow Life, the asshole it is, to have its way with us, becoming sour and bitter...or we can accept Life's challenges for what they are - learning experiences.
Let's face it, without the minuscule to massive tests and challenges Life tosses at us like an angry, caged monkey throws poop, we don't improve. We don't learn. We don't grow. We are not human.
So the next time you're watching Life gallivant off in glorious celebration, remember there will always be another challenge heading your way soon. Embrace the experience, learn to allow yourself to grow, stay open minded and remember...when it comes to ball...you'll be at bat more than once. You may strike out the first time, but Life also has a funny way of resolving the issues that keep us awake at night, dominate our minds and ruin days, weeks and months.
Stress, anger, frustration, anxiety...these things are completely useless. I fail to see how anything good could come of any of these.
Acceptance, understanding, patience and a sense of humour - these will save your life, and I encourage all to see the big picture, put yourself in other's shoes, wait for the best solution to present itself and find the funny in everything.
We're not perfect, we'll make mistakes, we'll hurt others and ourselves...but it's the courageous and bold who are strong enough to look in the mirror and ask "where did I go wrong?"
And FYI - fortune favours the bold.
As Miley Cyrus once sang: "There's always going to be another mountain, I'm always going to want to make it move, Always going to be an uphill battle, Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose, Ain't about how fast I get there, Ain't about what's waiting on the other side - It's the climb." And man...Miley's like...12. So if she can get it, so can you.