Ups and Downs of Living--Or, Spring Must Be on Its Way 

Kitty J. Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT, RScP

March 3, 2015

Photo by Shutterstock

I am writing this and offering the video message for Tuesday, March 3rd, but it is actually Sunday afternoon, and the weather is about as dreary as it gets. The sky is gray, its raining except that the temperatures are below freezing, so it is characterized as "freezing rain," and I have felt house bound for the day. I don't see any point in risking a fender bender after all, and the forecast for tomorrow is that it is going to warm up considerably. That's the good news. The bad news is that the forecast includes snow again for later this week. Doesn't the weather god know that it is March and spring is supposed to be on its way?

I have always loved living in Virginia because we get four very distinct seasons. I love that each season here is about 3 months long, and by the time I am really sick of one season (winter is too cold, summer is too hot) the next season begins to move in. 

This winter has tried the patience of most of us, however. The folks in the Northeast and Midwest probably haven't seen the ground because of the feet of snow that they can't get to go away. My friends in New Hampshire laugh at me when I tell them that I can't go anywhere because we got 5 1/2 inches of snow.

The point is, however, that Spring IS on its way. Regardless of how gloomy things LOOK at this particular moment in time, better things are on their way. It is inevitable. It is inevitable because nothing ever stays the same.

Like the graphic of the roller coaster, we have our ups and we have our downs. But we rarely stay up all of the time, and we never stay down all of the time. That is the good news. The challenge is how you behave and how you handle the bad times with grace and the good times with gratitude.

My video message is a reminder that we experience ups and downs all of the time because that is just the nature of life. If you are having a bad time right now, I am sorry. I send you light and love. And I hope that the time for better things is nearly at hand. If you are in the middle of a really great time right now, take a moment to say "Thank You," and practice a lot of gratitude. Enjoy the good times because they may serve as memories to help get you through the darker time that may be on your horizon. I hope not...but since nothing ever stays the same, it is possible.

Wherever you are in your life, if you feel that you need a helping hand or a shoulder upon which to lean but you need an objective point of view as in someone who will tell you the truth as opposed to what you want to hear, you might consider giving me a ring. My job as a life and stress management coach as well as a career transition coach is to provide guidance, counsel, and large doses of truth so that you can work your way out of whatever difficult situation you may be dealing with at this time. Don't feel like you have to handle the situation alone. You don't. Give me a call if you need someone to talk to.

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