Pivot!!!!!!!!!

 Hi!

You know, if life didn't slap us upside the head every 10 or15 years, we'd probably get lackadaisical, a little too comfortable, a bit complacent.

Anything this side of life and death is doable. 

At the light end, this shows itself at the Olympics. These young people commit so much time, effort, suffering injuries, enduring the stress, sacrificing social lives, and, sometimes after all of that, they get to the event, the heat, the set, the jump etc, just to trip, fall, pull a muscle or have something else happen that turns their dream into a nightmare. But they live to fight another day, if not in the same capacity, as a coach, commentator, or in some other way.

In life stuff, there are surprise babies, surprise losses of careers, health situations that are just serious enough to force hard decisions, storms, both natural and of the shit variety. All kinds of things that cause a shift in trajectory.

The ability to pivot, to find resilience, to keep putting one foot in front of the other is simply a skill necessary for survival. Does that mean it's easy? Ever? Nope! Sometimes you need to ask for help, even if that's something you struggle with. It's important to never underestimate those who care about you and their willingness to extend a hand. It's okay to lean into and on those who are willing and able. It's okay to not have all the answers, all the solutions, nobody does. 

When pivots hit, we don't get to see what's around any corner. We can give it our best guess, prepare for best and worst case scenarios the best we can, and then, there is nothing left to do but jump. 

We try to take the least treacherous route, prepare for stumbles, slippery surfaces, and curve balls. 

We determine what the worst of worst-case scenarios could possibly be, if that's survivable, there's no reason not to do it, whatever it is. 

Some pivots are minor, requiring merely a slight shift, others hit like earthquakes. 

Spoiler alert. We don't usually get any warning about where or how it will hit, or how hard.

Now, knowing all this, we have some choices to make. We can live in fear of the unknown, which is even scarier when you learn just how little we actually know. This guarantees a life of anxiety, sleepless nights, some stomach aches, and, if smart, a lot of therapy. Or... we can acknowledge that the pivots are inevitable, develop the skills of resilience both within ourselves and in those we have a hand in raising, and go on to live life as big and wide and open as possible, confident we can handle whatever comes, embracing the adventure. 

No two lives are meant to be lived the same way. Even within a marriage or long-term relationship, the way you live within that will be different, even if only slightly, it will still be different. 

That's why you have to do you, you have to be you. Your authentic you. Always. 

Your path has always been, and will always be meant to be uniquely yours. 

Live it like you mean it.