Unavoidable

In this world, for that matter, in this life, there are some things that you just can’t avoid. It is just the way life works. We run into things that we are unable to prevent from happening. We might try to thwart them by being safe, pre-thinking our activities or by being constantly on edge, but still, things happen, usually when we least expect them!

                For instance, I was going to work the other day and had stopped at a stop sign. Looking both ways I saw an approaching car starting a turn into the street I was sitting on. Cutting the corner wide the driver didn’t see me until she hit me.

                There was no way I could have known that was going to happen, no way to prepare for it. I did have my seat belt on and I had stopped at the stop sign but these things did nothing to prevent her from driving into me. Luckily, no one was hurt, other than our pocket books.

                Some things are just unavoidable and there is nothing we can do about it.

                How about the “Pandemic”? Real or not, we are still affected by it. Businesses have shut down, some for good, people have lost jobs and others have experienced pay cuts. We now live in a world of masks, social distancing and working from home. Some people are afraid to go outdoors, we couldn’t even fathom this a year ago. Sadly, it is unavoidable.

                People are effected by stress, fears and anxieties we never imagined. Who would have envisioned ever becoming sick of hearing about masks?

                The dog left me a present on the clean carpet, nicely centered in front of the TV. Unavoidable.

On a more serious note, death and the feelings of sorrow and depression after losing someone close.  We all know that life is a fatal condition but the feelings we encounter after the loss of someone is unavoidable.

The important thing to remember is, there are some things that are unavoidable which are good! Not everything unavoidable is bad!

Such as, picking up a random book and falling into its spell. Wanting to find out what happens, caring for the characters in it, knowing that this is a book you’ll read again!  This doesn’t happen all the time and because of that, the pleasure of it is that much more intense!

Love! Finding that special person that you just fit together with. When you least expect it, suddenly there they are. The happiness that comes from the relationship, we don’t plan these things, they just happen. Often if we are attempting to find them, we never do, it is when you aren’t thinking about it. Someone enters your life and you realize how wonderful your life has become! When you least expect it, it can’t be avoided!

Some other things are the wonders of chance encounters, things that cause your heart to flutter, such as coming around a bend in the road and seeing a breath-taking view in front of you.  Unavoidable. Seeing the sky painted with the colors of the rising or setting sun.  Walking down to a stream and seeing a heron waiting for its dinner to swim by, and watching it and its reflection flying away from you after he spots you. Gasping as the view in your telescope sharpens and you see something you’ve never seen before. Smiling as a person says a random nice comment to you. Feeling your heart beat as you listen to your grandson’s laughter. Our lives are filled with wonderful things which can’t be avoided.  Good and bad, our mission, (should we choose to accept it) is to concentrate on finding the good in our world and not stressing over the bad!

Granted, it is easier said than done. I am writing these things not only as a comment on today’s world, but also as a reminder to myself that there is good out there and no matter how we sometimes get depressed and under the weather, it will get better! The sun will rise again tomorrow and chances are it will be accompanied with a beautiful sky!        We can’t avoid it!