Tuesday's Trash & the Idie Author

Picking up the Pieces

Quote of the Day"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again."– Flavia Weedn

I read this quote of the day in one of my emails today and it got me thinking about how many times we make lemonade and applesauce in our lives. Not sure of what I'm talking about? When I was a child, when something bad happened my grandmother always said that you take the rotten apples and make applesauce with it. The premise was taking something broken, rotten or bad, and making it into something useful or good out of it.

I've lived by this principle my whole life. Writing is another way for me to make applesauce out of what life dishes out. On my other site, I used to use the heading, "Where Murphy's Law and the Luck of the Irish Combine in Writing." Now, I'm only Irish by marriage, but Murphy's Law reads...whatever can go wrong; will go wrong. Luck of the Irish is self-explanatory. When you combine the two you reach a status quo between bad and good. Sort of. It takes a little extra effort to look for the blessing or good stuff in everything bad that happens. I look at it as grist for the writing mill. Everything that has or will happen to me gives me first hand experiences to incorporate into my writing.

For example, I was in a head-on collision a couple of years ago. That is a very bad thing, I'm sure everyone can agree. Both automobiles were totaled. Here's my view on the situation. All the vehicles were totaled, but everyone walked away from the accident with a few broken bones and bruises. Cars can be replaced; people can not. Sure broken bones are a royal pain as they heal, but you can not heal from death.

The hospital did a CT scan because the x-rays showed something strange and they wanted a better view. The CT showed tumors in my abdomen. I've had some pretty major surgery in the past few years. Now, everyone hears tumor and thinks cancer. I was one of those also. I cried. I pitched a fit big-time. I prayed. Then I chose action and a proactive stance over self-pity. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with sitting on the pity-pot, but just don't make it a life long ambition. It's just not what I'm about.

I finally reached a point of peace with the whole issue. I figured if I didn't wake up from surgery then my job here on Earth was complete and I could go on to a place where Murphy's Law didn't existed. Not a bad thing considering my life. If I woke up from surgery then my job here on Earth was not complete. Something was left undone. Either way it was out of my hands. So many people scramble to pick up all the pieces of the problem or their lives to keep control. An example of the shattered glass or shattered dreams. Inner peace is more important than control.

I had surgery, complications, and the healing took months instead of weeks. It was a growing experience. If I had not had my accident, the tumors would still be in my body...growing and making me ill. Considering my heart stopped twice during surgery, I'm still here writing. The shattered dreams and glass of the accident are past. There it will remain until forgotten. What is important is that I am here, doing what has to be done. Writing, learning, advocating, teaching, and loving everything around me. So my pretty car is gone. It was replaced. The other people involved are living their lives to the fullest. Let's be honest here, not too many people walk away from a head-on collision without permanent damage. The three of us had a wake up call. Look at the shattered pieces of your dreams, stop trying to pick up ALL the pieces, pick one and create something wonderful.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.