In the 1920's, Ernest Hemingway learned something about 'bad luck' and getting kicked by life. He was struggling to make his mark as an author when disaster struck. He lost a suitcase containing all his manuscripts - many stories he'd polished to jewel-like perfection - which he'd been planning to publish in a book.
According to Denis Waitley in his book Empires of the Mind published William Morrow and Company, Inc. in 1995, the devastated Hemingway couldn't conceive of redoing his work. All those months of arduous writing were simply wasted.
He lamented his predicament to friend and poet Ezra Pound who called it a stroke of good fortune! Pound assured Hemingway that when he would rewrite the stories, he would forget the weak parts; only the best material would reappear.
He encouraged the aspiring author to start over with a sense of optimism and confidence. Hemingway did rewrite the stories and eventually became a major figure in American literature.
When adversities hit us like storm in life don't wait for it to pass, learn to dance in rain.It's not the adversity, but how we react to it that determines the course of our lives.
Any day I'm vertical is a good day
...that's what I always say.
If you ask me, "How are you?"
I'll answer, "GREAT!"
because in saying so,
I make it so.
When Life gives me dark clouds and rain,
I appreciate the moisture
that brings a soft curl to my hair.
When Life gives me sunshine,
I gratefully turn my face up
to feel its warmth on my cheeks.
When Life brings fog,
I hug my sweater around me
and give thanks for the cool shroud of mystery
that makes the familiar seem different and intriguing.
When Life brings snow,
I dash outside to catch the first flakes on my tongue,
relishing the icy miracle that is a snowflake.
Life's events and experiences
are like the weather -
they come and go,
no matter what my preference.
So, what the heck?!
I might as well decide to enjoy them.
For indeed,
there IS a time for every purpose
under Heaven.
And each season brings its own unique blessings.
(Poem - Weather Report by B J Gallagher)
