Life is tough.  No doubt about that.  Life is going to kick you and then when you are still on your knees, it is going to kick you again.  And life does not care if you are struggling already.  Life is not fair so forget about that too.  There are two kinds of people — those that get hit and never recover from their wounds and those that get back up and keep going.  You know the difference between those people too.  I know people who have remained stuck in years long past, worrying about regrets and guilt that has never left them.  Unfortunately, that is their burden.  But they choose to carry it. Not much the rest of us can do about that.  And then there are the others — the ones that get back into the fight because they won’t quit.  They go in there knowing they will get knocked around, maybe scarred for life, but that is better than the alternative.  Not living is no longer a choice.  It has become a way of life.  It defines who they are and doing anything less is completely out of the question.  Ever been socked so hard, you spun around, saw stars, and wondered what just happened?  Maybe you had someone there to catch you before you fell and held you steady just long enough so could right yourself.  Maybe you got up on your own, even if it was difficult and took time.  Perhaps,  you were confused and needed some time to figure out what to do next.  I have friends who show strength every day that I am convinced that I could never find.  There are people who have to make the most difficult of decisions every day and I believe I know what I would do if I were in their shoes.  Know anyone like that?  Life is not perfect either.  Some of us have grown up with fairly normal lives while others have it a little bit more rough.  Some of us show it more than others.  What gets you frazzled?  What have you given up on?  Are you happy?  I know people who have been hit hard and never recover — they use past hurts as reasons to continue to not only their own hurt, but to make sure that others around them hurt as well.  They just don’t know how to change their thoughts.  I also know others that have been hit hard and have never given up on life — and people would never know the amount of hurt they struggled through to get where they are now.  Life is not always kind, but it has been said that some people return the favor to others because of what they missed in their own lives.  In fact, I know someone just like that. So, here we are…in the middle of life, and I ask how do you handle what comes your way?  Me?  Well, I say,  “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar

Michelle A. Homme 2013 ©