Losing

“That’s what learning is, after all; not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we’ve changed because of it, and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way is winning.”  ― Richard Bach, The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story

Losing. A much bigger part of life than we'd like. If you only see it as losing, and not the gifts you have from it, you probably are more than tired of it.

If I had to pick something I think has taught me more than anything else in life, it would be losing. Not being pessimistic about my life, I have learned far more from the bad than the good.

Family. My parents split when I was 17, after... 17 years of crap. Maybe they loved each other in the beginning, but I don't remember any of that. We had good times, but it was almost exclusively me and my dad. I think my egg donor was probably bipolar: mostly because I don't want to think I am descended from someone that was truly evil. My dad and I did most everything together, until he saw I was old enough to fight back for myself. Then he was outta there. What did losing that teach me? Never give up. There's always a way out.

Love. I've had a few great loves in my lifetime. Young love, what I thought was forever love, and let's try this one more time love. Two of those ended tragically, so there's a lesson there: don't count on forever, live each day. There's even one in the wings that never took flight, one that is and may always be waiting on that second chance. Lesson? Again, never give up. Anything is possible. There might be a way back.

Yes, I see the theme here as well. Giving up is never a good idea. NO QUITTING. Also, NO WHINING. If anyone ever told you life was fair, go find them now and slap them. It was a lie. Life isn't even about fairness. We get what we work for, we lose what we love, and if we're lucky, so damn lucky, we get another chance.

This Thanksgiving season, think about your gains. That came from your losses. Be grateful for both.