ups & downs, a lifelong ride

This is the third post of my new series, Transitioning into the Unknown. I’ve taken a bit of a break, but I know I’m still searching for positivity through everything right now and this helps me, so I hope it helps y’all too:)

I’d been pondering what to make this about when I found an old draft from 2017 of a riddle poem I wrote. It describes a skyscraper. My first thought when thinking about one is how high it goes. Then, I thought about our current circumstances. How do the two relate?

Upon further thinking, skyscrapers have elevators, Well, what do those do? They move up and down (they can also stay in one place, but not permanently). This is similar to life; we are in a constant cycle of highs and lows, or, ups & downs. That gave me serious Michael Scott vibes (if you know, you know).

This is just another down in a lifetime that’s ever-changing. This won’t last forever. It may feel like it, but I promise you, it won’t. We might not be able to change anything right now, but we can change our mentality. “Mind over matter” is something that can be very helpful to remember. Corona seemed to die down, but it’s not done with us yet and it’s still effecting 2020 nine months in. I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say ‘I thought 2020 was going to be refreshing and a fun start of a new decade.’ We couldn’t have known all of this was going to happen. This is simply just another ride down in a life full of endless downs. Eventually, we will go up…and we’ll go back down again, that’s just life. As much as it may seem, this isn’t going to last forever. We will get through this together. We’ve been getting through this together since it all started. You aren’t alone.

“I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.”

-John Green, The Fault in our Stars

Life is full of the unexpected; that’s a fact. I feel as if in these past months, we’ll have a plan, but it will and can change in a second. We haven’t really been in control of our lives in months and our country is still recovering from a worldwide pandemic. When we are thrown off track, we tend to stumble. It’s frustrating when things seem to be going back to normal, but we still have so many restrictions. It’s been difficult to find reassurance during these unprecedented times. Although the way we’ve been living in 2020 seems normal now, I believe that sooner rather than later, masks and stressing everyday will become a distant thought.

To sum things up, yes, right now, things seem like the new normal, but it won’t last forever. It’ll actually make it all the more better when we no longer are required to wear masks, etc. It helps to find the more positive perspective on life, especially right now. It’s easy to get caught in the negativity (or downs) and stay there, but why have a negative mentality when you can have a positive one? 2020 has been completely full of ups & downs since the very beginning, so let’s look forward to 2021 and make the best out of what we can.

Stay safe!