The thing about life is that you only get to live it once. That fact makes it imperative that you understand how important it is to enjoy the ride. Life is a lot like a roller coaster with ups, downs and unexpected turns. You can choose to enjoy the excitement, or you can spend your days regretting what has happened and dreading what is to come. In the end, all you can do is prepare yourself by making sure your seat belt is securely fastened and make the best of the ride.
Maybe comparing life to a succession of roller coasters rather than just one would be better. There are always ways to change your life and move to another roller coaster if you don’t like the one you’re on. There’s always a cost of some sort when you change your life, but that doesn’t mean you don’t benefit from the change. Nothing is free; there’s always a cost to the path you choose in life, including the one you’re currently on.
One sure way to lose the enjoyment of the ride you’re on is to spend all of your time looking at the rides other people are on and wishing you were riding with them. As mentioned above, all rides have a cost, and what seems like the perfect life does not come without a downside. Plus, even if the life of another is perfect, you don’t have it, so why spend your time worrying about what you don’t have? There’s nothing wrong with seeking the best for yourself; it’s just important to remember in the end you only have the journey you enjoy. The journey is the best part because the rest is just memories.
Life will throw obstacles in your way to try to trip you up. Life will put people in your life that seem to have a singular goal of making your life a living hell. Life will put people in front of you that act irrationally and without explanation. Life will sometimes do everything it can to make you flinch, and it will use people with questionable intent to meet those goals.
You won’t always have the choice to extricate these folks from your life; sometimes, you just have to deal with them. Sometimes, you have to fight. Just remember fighting when you need to is okay, but there’s no value in fighting for the sake of fighting if the same or a better result can be obtained by other means. Don’t mess up your ride because someone does not like theirs.
Next week, the United States of America will celebrate 237 years of freedom for those lucky enough to warm themselves under the blanket of freedom represented by the Stars and Stripes. Living in the United States is the ride that most people in the world want to be on. Nothing about the ride our country has been on has been easy, and there have certainly been ups and downs. There are improvements that can be made, and they will come. All good things come with time.
Enjoy your life and the blessings that come with living in the United States. Be thankful for what you have and enjoy your ride. Have a great Fourth of July! That comes from the heart, way up here in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com