There is a gorgeous Frank Sinatra song called They All Laughed. The lyrics remind me of the greatness we each are capable of, and that while doubt is faced both internally and externally, there is surely bold bravery in the trying, and also, eventually in the doing. 

I am enduring a particularly difficult patch of my life. This phase is based on a combination of life happenings, paired with choices and decisions I have made. I do not regret my decisions, as I felt as though they were what was right for me in my life, hearing where my path is leading me. The pain is a side-effect and the opportunity cost of living a life of my own, paired with the aftermath of decisions.

I have come to finally accept that there is no such thing as a life free of pain, for with the yin, there is the yang; within each, there is a coexistence of both good and bad, or what we see as black and white. What we fail to see, are the grey lines blending the two. Maybe they’re not the silver linings, but rather the real within them. Maybe the grey is the acceptance of a life for what it is, which by no means excludes the nature of receiving those phases and seeing them with grateful eyes.

Our challenges come to us in many ways, and while some face challenges that are more difficult than others, I realize the ever-increasing need to see and understand with eyes of empathy and a heart that beats well for others. I recently heard a talk by Chade Meng Tan, founder of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI). Meng introduced the phrase and concept in that, “when you meet someone, meet them with the intention that you want that person to be happy.” 

That hope and wish is so kind and such an immense shift in paradigm from what we are so accustomed to. Maybe the way to improve the character of man is to implement a simple kind wish towards ourselves and to others. Just maybe this would change our worlds, and the world around us. 

Anna Badrieh