How do we find the good in the not-so-good?
A wisp of a woman gingerly stepped forward with her walker, her husband carrying her handbag. She was frail and appeared to be in pain or drugged.
I, with my firm, confident stride, passed them and held the door open. We were entering a Gynecological Oncologist’s office. The couple was inching forward very slowly and cautiously. Finally, the woman stepped in, and with the help of her husband, tentatively took a seat.
She appeared to be in her 50’s. It was apparent she either had an advanced stage of cancer or was in severe pain, perhaps both. My heart went out to her.
Office staff came to her and her husband, offering beverages, a blanket, or anything else that might ease her discomfort.
I felt a bit guilty. My appointment was for a check on pre-cancer skin cells. My malady would never morph into cancer. I had dodged the proverbial bullet, yet here I sat surrounded by women of different ages with varying degrees of cancer.
Walking to my examination room, I passed the chemotherapy area, where tubes and vials were connected to several women, circled by caring and ministering nurses.
Why and how did I get so lucky to have sidestepped this cruel illness? Could it be my good genes, balanced diet, or healthy lifestyle that helped spare me?
What about the women connected to the chemo contraption? The ill woman accompanied by her husband in the office — what could be their silver lining?
For one, it could be the gift of healthy grandchildren. For another, the news that her cancer is in remission.
We don’t know why certain people contract diseases, sparing others.
It is up to each one of them, each one of us, to find the silver lining in every challenge we encounter.
Only in the darkness, can you see the stars. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Silver linings can be found in other realms, as well, such as the worldwide Covid pandemic.
We have paid a high price during this pandemic with lives lost, jobs disappearing for many workers, highly successful businesses going bust. Still, we have a silver lining. It is there if we look for it, lean into it, and treasure the blessings given.
One favorable bonus to the pandemic is that many people continue to work from home, leaving the dreaded commute behind. The proof of this silver lining, in countless instances, is employees are more productive and happier working from home. Plus, they are near their families.
Our environment has significantly benefitted from the lockdown — blue skies have returned over many previously smoggy cities because carbon emissions have fallen sharply. There is clean water where once it wasn’t safe to drink — all encouraging news.
On yet another topic, my friend, Christie’s daughter, had a long-awaited surgery that would relieve her pain. The surgery was deemed successful, and the young woman is home recuperating and improving though feeling miserable. The after-effects of surgery are unpleasant, but knowing the operation and distress is behind is cause for relief. The silver lining would be that she is now pain-free and able to perform all her duties and live life with ease.
My silver lining in almost every matter is to appreciate every single breath bestowed upon me. To let my loved ones know how much I care, see the beauty in my surroundings, and enjoy all the abundance — financial, emotional, and spiritual — granted to me.
Are you able to see a problem you face and look ahead to the future silver lining that may result from having maneuvered through the struggle? I’m certainly not suggesting that it is easy to see beyond the current troubles you have and slap on a happy face. I am proposing we take a moment to be grateful for all we have, and that knowledge can be our silver lining.
Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor. — Rumi, 13th Century Persian poet.
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