What Brims Beneath the Surface...

"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies."

~ Erich Fromm

Lately I've been doing alot of reading.  I may have already mentioned this...I love nothing more than sitting on my comfy chair with my nanna blanky over my lap, reading a great book and sipping tea.

My favourite genre of books is Autobiographies.  My favourite types of autobiographies are the stories of struggle and triumph.  Especiallly when it comes to sports and fitness.  I have read others and enjoyed them, but I love those most especially.

The lastest book, 'Open' by Andre Agassi was one that got me thinking.  I was shocked at the pain, both physically and mentally he was going through during his many years getting to No.1 and then holding onto that ranking.

Lately, I've been doing alot of observing and thinking about this contradiction.  The contradiction, that along with success and happiness, struggle and pain is brimming just below the surface. 

How many stories, both famous and otherwise, where before success was realised, the bitter taste of struggle was never far away.

And this is what I observe with people's daily lives.  On the surface, people are going about their daily lives seemingly happy.  Yet, ask them and each person will have their own story of sadness and pain.  They may be even in the midst of pain, but you would never know sometimes.

You don't know.  I didn't know.  There are some closest to us, who have been unhappy more moments of their lives than they have been happy.  They can count those moments on their fingers.  And I feel sad for them. I feel sad, because I've been oblivious to this apparent state of being. 

I feel sad for them, because my happy days...moments...far outweigh my sad moments and times of struggle.  I can count my struggles on my fingers.  Though...when I think deeper about it, maybe I just don't remember, and don't choose to remember them.  I choose the good memories. 

I can genuinely say that I am a happy person; I love life, and life intoxicates me.  I am grateful for this blessing. 

So when you meet someone who is apparently 'successful' or achieved many things in their lives, don't be too quick to judge and label them lucky.  You never know what they may have endured to get there. 

Which leaves me on a parting note.  This is just from someone I know in the AA.  A medical doctor, who served over in Afghanistan recently.  His story I wish would be told to more people.  His story is of those who live in worn-torn countries, who have only ever known war and hardship.  I'm glad he told us his story.  The story of local people in such third world countries and what they have to endure.  And he says that the thing he got most from his experience is to never take life for granted...we take life for granted here in Australia.

To live each day without the fear of yourself or your loved ones being shot or wounded and not having that constant stress of living on the edge is such a gift, he said. 

And it got me thinking how selfish we can be, to judge those who look for a better life.  So for people who come from other countries, before I judge, I will try to consider what struggles and pains that are brimming beneath the surface and try to walk a mile in their shoes.