A New Journey: life's lessons

life's lessons
Wednesday, May 30, 2007

i never saw the movie "forest gump," but i'm familiar with probably the most famous quote from that movie: "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." well, to me life is like that sometimes; you just don't know all that each new day will bring, or all that will emerge from one decision. oh, yes, some things we know we'll be doing for sure each day, i.e., brushing our teeth when we awaken, showering, getting dressed, eating, going to work or school, or for the stay-at-home people--doing all that needs to be done, etc. however, there are things we encounter during the course of the day that weren't on our agenda in any shape, form, or fashion.

the difference in real life versus that box of chocolates--when we bite into a piece of candy with peanuts or coconut in it, and we don't like it, we can spit it out and throw the rest in the trash. our real-life endeavors sometimes just aren't that simple. well, deal with it, one might say. oh yes, we deal with it, but the big question is how do we deal with it? i guess that depends on what we're dealing with.

our trials come to make us strong, not in ourselves, but in the power of God's might. what does that mean exactly? when we're weak in ourselves, then we're strengthened in God. in the midst of those "unplanned" or "unforeseen" encounters, much is revealed about ourselves. some things are handled well, and others, not-so-well. however, i'm learning the not-so-well is okay because it's teaching me what i need to know to help me achieve my future goals. they're my stepping stones to bigger and better.

i know God is preparing me for greater, so i don't mind the things going on in my life right now that are out of my control, or the decisions i'm making that aren't the best, and believe me, i'm making some, but i'm learning from them. i'm learning, and that's what's important to me and for me. i trust God enough to know that He'll not let me make a mistake that would be too costly. i don't necessarily mean in dollars and cents, though that too, but in messing up someone else's life or even mine to a certain extent.

lately, my life has been that box of chocolates. i love when i bite into a chocolate with the cherries inside. yummy!!! i love life when it's moving on track. i don't like it when i bite into a chocolate and i get caramel. not one of my favorites, but then again, some things i'm encountering in life aren't either. so i toss the caramel, but i learn from life.

posted by heiresschild @ 5/30/2007 06:37:00 AM,

22 Comments:

At May 30, 2007 6:32 AM, Jeff Roberts said...: Good post. And you can throw the caramels over here. :-)
At May 30, 2007 7:12 AM, beachgirl said...: Ok Sylvia,
I'm with Jeff. I want the caramels. But wait until all this dental work is done. Keep the chocolate.
I agree with you and life's trials and tribulations. I am bored out of my mind with no job right now. But it is giving me plenty of puppy and ride time. I am also just in a holding pattern on some of life's trials. More health stuff. The system not moving quick enough for my liking.
But at the end of this I am going on vacation. I am taking my time going up the east coast. (get ready for that Miata ride girl). I am coming thru your town. So this is a at your door Sylvia type pick up. I have nothing but time, and your getting some of it.
My Grams is getting a whole week or more of my time. My new puppy is coming along for the ride. A week at the beach house in Bethany Beach, Delaware, a week in my home town on the Jersey Shore.
Eventually I will come home and get back to the grind of daily living. Like finding a new job. I am leaving that direction in Gods hands for sure.
Have an awesome day!
Carol
At May 30, 2007 8:00 AM, Shanilie said...: Great post. I have to admit that my life has been a box of chocolates too. Some great tasting, some terrible. Crazy times. I can't wait till they are all the same flavor that way I can say my life is same old same old. lol. You're right, at least we can learn from it.

On another note.....WHAT?!!!! You haven't seen Forest Gump?! I refused to watch it when it first came out because I thought it would be sad, but recently I did watch it and now it is one of my favorites. Watch it....you won't be disappointed.
At May 30, 2007 11:06 AM, HeiressChild said...: hi jeff, i was thinking about your blog earlier today. will be there to visit shortly. caramels coming your way. catch!

hi carol, i didn't know you weren't with the airlines anymore. at least your shoulder will get some much-needed healing. i'll definitely be in touch with you regarding my miata ride. *lol* that's going to be loads of fun. enjoy your downtime.

p.s. you and jeff will have to share the caramels.

hi shanile, (hanging my head in shame, lol), i promise to rent forest gump real soon. thanx. may you get all great flavor chocolates in your box.

you all have a great day!
At May 30, 2007 11:11 AM, Lone Grey Squirrel said...: I toss out the caramels and the coconut centers. A great post.
At May 30, 2007 11:26 AM, Ian Lidster said...: God gives us the ability to make choices, and sometimes we make the wrong ones (just like the chocolates) and sometimes the wrong ones are better for us than the 'right' ones. So, God will enable you to choose what is 'best' for you, my friend.

Ian
At May 30, 2007 11:38 AM, HeiressChild said...: hi LGS, so you take the good and throw out the bad? thanx.

hi ian, you are so correct. i'm just getting to the point where i'm not so hard on myself for making the wrong decisions. they've definitely been better for me because i'm learning so much from them, especially this DSL/phone service i just signed up for. thanx for your encouragement.
At May 30, 2007 12:44 PM, Josie said...: Sylvia, lately I have been biting into the caramel ones, you know the ones that take out a filling when you eat it, and then you end up having to got to the dentist for a root canal? Those are the chocolates I have been getting.

Great post.

I hope all is well with you in your world.

Cheers,
Josie
At May 30, 2007 2:57 PM, Jeff Roberts said...: Also, to stretch the analogy a bit more, that's why God gives us family and friends and church - hopefully in all that mess we can find SOMEONE who'll eat the coconut-filled so we don't have to :-)
At May 30, 2007 3:02 PM, Ingrid said...: hey sylvia,

what a great post you have for today!!!! such is life, sometimes it's crazy, sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it's just so-so . . . and it's up to us to find our own balance.

am glad you're taking it all in stride. what can we do? we don't have time to worry about all those other things that bug us. as for me, i just take it a day at a time and over the years, i've learned to master the art of worrying about the things that i have control of, the ones i don't have control of, like people's attitudes, the traffic, the price of gas, politics, the weather, al qaeda, etc, etc, aaaaaahhhhhhh, i don't sweat as much!

thanks for this post. it's very enlightening!!! another great one from the romantic novelist :) :) :)
At May 30, 2007 4:03 PM, Ute said...: Well, I love this post, but to be honest, I need some help to understand your point though I have an idea. Can I come back later to ask your some questions? Right now I'm just too tired, it is 10p.m. over here in Germany.
At May 30, 2007 9:25 PM, HeiressChild said...: josie, jeff will eat the caramel ones; that should keep you out of the dentist's chair. i hope you're feeling better today.

jeff, that is a good analogy. i definitely agree; we are to bear one another's burdens, er um, i mean eat one another's discarded candy.

hi ingrid, finding the balance and taking things in stride is so key.thanx. my newest saying about a lot of things: "who cares." that was interesting about your comment yesterday about passion in my writing. thank you so much; i just try and write from the heart. i guess that's what romance novelists do, huh?

hi ute, what i'm basically talking about is how life deals us situations and circumstances that's we're not always expecting or prepared for. through these, we have to make decisions, and sometimes we made good decisions, and sometimes we makes not-so-good decisions, but even the not-so-good decisions we make are learning experiences to teach us and help us move on in our life. it's taking the good with the bad and making the most of it. i hope this explains my post a little clearer; if not, let me know and i will break down the understanding some more. thank you for your kind comments. i'm glad you liked the post. i hope you're feeling a little more rested when you read this.
At May 31, 2007 1:20 AM, my4kids said...: Great post Sylvia, I liked it. This really is how life is isn't it? We all get things thrown in that weren't part of our plans. Like my kids health issues and Izzak disabilities.
My favorite motto?

Life ain't always beautiful, but its a beautiful ride!

I got that from a country song and it really hits home. Not everything is beautiful there is a lot of sadness and heartache, etc. But in the end really it is beautiful and its what you make of it that makes you.
At May 31, 2007 12:04 PM, HeiressChild said...: wow terri, that is so beautiful, and a great way to look at life. makes me even think of the saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." many times, this is used when to referring to people, but it can be used for life in general too. thanx for sharing such a wonderful, positive thought. love your motto!
At May 31, 2007 1:37 PM, PortraitofPeter said...: Have got to agree with Terri and she gave an excellent adaption interpretion.

Forest Gump - was a wonderful movie and well worth a viewing.
At May 31, 2007 3:59 PM, Ute said...: Thanks for your explanation, yes, I guess I had the right idea about it. When I'm tired I sometimes have trouble understanding the english words especially when it is not about daily things.

Yes, life is not always easy, but thats right, there must be a reason why one has to go through tough times. I've been through this in the past, thank God, it was never so bad that I thought I couldn't manage it. But in the end, it always turned out to be ok....and afterwards I always felt I grew, feeling more mature everytime.

Well, hope you understand what I want to say. I'm better in expressing this things in german...:-)))
At May 31, 2007 4:14 PM, HeiressChild said...: thanx peter, i'll be out for most of this weekend, but i'm going to rent forest gump next week and watch it.

i understand perfectly what you're saying ute, and i'm glad you got the explanation. that's the good thing about our trials, we do learn and grow from them. you expressed yourself perfectly.
At June 04, 2007 8:10 AM, Alpha Dude 1.5 said...: Yay for chocolate!

As the saying goes "The problem with life is that it is so daily".

I try not to get the chocolate with the stuff I don't like, but sometimes we just don't get that choice, do we?

Jesus said to cast all our cares on Him. Sometimes I forget and it isn't always easy to remember or to do.

So let's all watch a good movie and eat some chocolate!

Blessings.
At June 04, 2007 12:30 PM, HeiressChild said...: hi alpha dude, welcome back! thanx for the reminder of casting my cares on Jesus. it's easy to focus on the problems instead of The Problem Solver, and i forget sometimes too.

i'll be eating my rasinettes with my popcorn when i watch forest gump.

have a great week!
At June 04, 2007 12:52 PM, Anonymous said...: hmmm, great post...Maybe if we stayed out of the box of chocolates, we wouldn't have the chance of biting into soemthing we don't like...nah..doesn't work with the life analogy does it now? We take the good with the bad, give our troubles to the ONE who can deliver us from the hardships and move on. Easier said than done.
At June 04, 2007 12:52 PM, Anonymous said...: Sorry, I didn't sign my name on that last comment...it was me...Ellie
At June 04, 2007 1:21 PM, HeiressChild said...: hi ellie, wouldn't it be nice if life were that simple? i'd difinitely stay out of the chocolates. *lol* who knew a box of chocolates could bring about so much revelation?