The Fortune in Misfortune

Last year, amidst the hustle and bustle of my final year and numerous goings-on, a string of words kept appearing in the back of my mind until finally it settled down as a personal mantra that I still keep to this day:

Things will usually get a lot worse before they get a lot better.

I lost count of how many times I applied this advice to friends in need. Some were cynical; others latched on to it like it was their last thread of hope. Regardless of the scale of their problems, I always fed them this line with full belief, because it's true: He does not give us life and everything encompassing it in this world without making us truly appreciate the enormity of it all.

Lately though, I'm the one who's in need of reminding of this mantra. 2009 began with me making a pig-headed decision, which resulted in an even bigger pig-headed mistake, which I will be forced to do penance for for the next few months. It's a grave ticket to adulthood, and I certainly never imagined this being the way I'd start the year.

Nonetheless, some good has come out of it, as most negative situations have a habit of doing. As the old cliche puts it, it's in these kind of situations that you find out who your friends really are - and mine have completely overwhelmed me with their unceasing support. Significant Other, who never fails to amaze me with his love and selflessness, has also gone to great lengths to protect me.

The greatest thing I learned from all of this though, is that there is fortune in misfortune. We don't experience tough times without taking pieces of them with us when it's time to move on because it's not forgetting that makes us learn - it's remembering. And every time we think we can get out of a tight spot all by ourselves, He will show you otherwise if you remember Him. I didn't quite forget, but I didn't quite make it known that I remembered.

Things are looking up now, very slightly. Still, I really want the next few months to be over and my life to return to normal, whatever that is. I've caused enough suffering, I've done enough damage, I've witnessed the savage outcome of recklessness.

I want redemption in my book now. So I'll keep reminding myself: Things usually get a lot worse before they get a lot better. And things will get better.