It's how you look at the situation....

Matt and love to road trip and take car rides. A few years ago, for my birthday we decided to head south a few hours to my parents’ home. Mom had offered to fix me my birthday dinner, Matt and I decided to take the long scenic way.  

We were in our new Ford Explorer. I called this my fancy car; it had all the bells and whistles on it. It drove beautifully, it had no problem getting up to speed and passing cars on the back country roads.  As we were flying past a slow-moving car, probably going the speed limit we see a car in the distance coming toward us. Sure enough it was Idaho State Patrol clocking us going 88 in a 55. YIKES! The trip to my parents house for dinner cost us $155 in a speeding ticket.

Earlier in our marriage this would have caused us a great amount of stress.  The extra $155 out of our budget that we did not have, a speeding ticket on Matt’s driving record would have ruined our day.  But it was interesting as the ISP officer was kindly writing Matt the ticket, there was no stress, only amusement at the stupidity the situation.

I know that a speeding ticket is not a big deal, but it what the speeding ticket represents and that is life. I think that the picture above shows that perfect.  Looking back on your life trials that seemed so bad, you can look forward and know that you have a bright future.

Some may ask how I can even compare a speeding ticket to life trials when people have all sorts of horrific things that happen to them. Family death, family member suicide, major illness, physical, mental, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, accidents. But that is just the point, I’ve experience all of those. Looking back, I am not sure how I came out on top, because there were somedays that I did not think I would.

So why do some come out on top and why do some shrink away. Studies would suggest that one’s resiliency plays a major role in the outcome of a stressor in life. My resiliency came from having a sister that I could talk to and share our experiences, and my biggest supporter that helped me in create resiliency in my life is my husband Matt. Having someone to talk to, that believes in you can get you through a lot.  And of course the never ending prayers asking for guidance and comfort. Ultimately it was up to me to decide how I wanted to live my life and look at problems.

I am almost 54 years old, is it going to be smooth sailing from here on out, most definitely not. I have aging parents, a husband with chronic pain, and is diabetic, my kids are just starting their families. I have watched others as they age they don't stop having trials because that part of their life is over. Like the title says, It's how you look at the situation.