We've all had those 2pm on Tuesday moments that put everything into perspective. Just like most I've had my share. I had one last week, it wasn't on Tuesday rather on a Wednesday but it had the same effect none the less. That evening I realized that all my fears, shame and worries are so irrelevant. It made me want to live more freely. I do a pretty good job of it already but there is always room for growth. The first time I really felt this, all the way to my bones was when I read Cosmos by Carl Sagan and then once again when I watched one of the Cosmos episode by the same person where they show the pale blue dot from billions of kilometers away. It really puts things into perspective. How we are nothing but a spec in the universe occupying a spec of a corner on this rock for what amounts to a fraction so small that it won't even count as a rounding error.
Life truly is meaningless, so assign the meaning that makes this short visit on this rock worth living. What a great opportunity to be alive. I know firsthand that it can feel otherwise, yet time is quite short. So be who you are. If you have figured out how, guide a few along the way. I know this lesson is temporary and I might forget about this as the worries take over again, but I'm hoping this will act as a reminder to my future self.
One of life's best coping mechanisms is to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire – then you’ve got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference.
- Robert Fulghum