By Tammy Derouin

Corkscrew Loop

It doesn't take long to realize why life is compared to a roller coaster. Life is full of incredible highs and stomach dropping lows. The highs can be fabulous and of course, you never want them to end. The lows can be depressing and exhausting and they never seem to end soon enough.

I think it's a pretty common goal to want to keep life as calm as possible. Life isn't perfect or without challenges. As you grow and your experience increases, you graduate to more challenging coaster rides. The next thing you know, you are belted in and hanging on for dear life. You learn how to handle many of life's ups and downs. You try to increase the highs but you also learn to enjoy them while they last. You do your best to avoid what could bring on the lows and unpleasant times in life but you also learn ways to minimize the possible damage.

Everyone has a different experience. No two roller coasters are alike because every life is unique. Each person has their own, custom made ups, downs, twists and turns. The choices we make certainly play a part in the type of ride we will experience, but so does the unexpected. You can plan and do your best to make the best possible decisions, but that doesn't prevent outside forces from throwing you for the corkscrew loop.

Learning from our experiences is important. Hopefully, it will prevent us from making the same mistakes in the future. When we see warning signs that remind us of things which directly harmed us or caused damage in other ways, we take notice and try to change things or remove ourselves from the situation. Either way, we acknowledge the problem and try to do something about it.

This past week, during an unexpected conversation with an unexpected individual, truths were acknowledged and confirmed. I do not recall what triggered his comment but he stated that people are inclined to stay in bad situations because over time, you adapt to the situation. As we talked, we recognized that adapting to a bad situation provides a false comfort zone. An individual learns how to appease their tormentor and minimize fallout or damaging repercussions, but, it doesn't correct the situation. To remove yourself from a bad situation is very difficult and extremely scary. But, it becomes necessary if you wish to survive and live a free life.

It is always encouraging and uplifting to converse with someone who has a similar understandings or shares similar experiences as you. One of life's little treats is when they come at an unexpected time and from an unexpected person. This conversation was even more encouraging when, as we were speaking, key words took me on a mental search through the file cabinets in my mind. As the conversation ended, I realized why some of it felt so familiar. The founding fathers understood human suffering and how difficult it can be to right a situation. They understood that after years of trying to correct bad or unfair policies, with no success, you are left with two options; you can continue to adapt to your misery or you can do something about it by declaring your independence.

Declaring independence doesn't make everything better overnight, as our founders were quite aware. They knew the battles, which had already occurred, were only the beginning. A war had been brewing and was now in their future. The colonist had stood up to a tyrant but it would be a long and difficult road ahead. Severing ties is never easy, even when you know it's the right thing to do.

As the holiday season jumps into full gear, we begin with Thanksgiving, which is followed by the celebration of the birth of our Savior and it ends with a new beginning, a new year. As we begin with Thanksgiving, what are the blessings in your life? For me, my blessings are of course, my family and friends. They are the ones who I see surrounding me while I'm on my roller coaster. They share the laughter and the tears.

I'm grateful for so many wonderful people in my life, from family and friends to all of those who add a smile to my day, whether they know it or not, but they are all part of this wonderful ride I call my life.

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

The Declaration of Independence