Can I learn and grow from the good, as well as from the difficult times of my life?

       

     William Butler Yeats said that, "We are happy when we are growing." When my daughters were little, we had a growth chart on the kitchen door. They were constantly asking me, "Did I grow?", and I would stop everything to measure them. If they grew, we would mark off their new height and the date, and they would be so excited. If they did not grow, I would give them suggestions of how they could help themselves grow taller like, "Drink more milk, get more sleep, play outside more." Do we stop growing once we reach adulthood? How can we measure our personal development and growth? We can't lean against the door to measure it, but hopefully we continue to grow our whole lives. If I had a chart that measured my growth, I would probably see large spikes where I went through the most difficult times of my life like my divorce and my father's death. When my life is going great, I am less likely to grow and change. Unfortunately, the times that I am more self-reflective are during the difficult times of my life. Does spiritual growth in adulthood make me happy? Not when the challenging situation is happening, but perhaps once the growing period ends, it does. I promise myself today to look inward and assess my behavior and thoughts during the happy times, and I will try to find joy in my growth and have positive thoughts during hard times.

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