Life's Curve Balls

By Tammy Derouin

The new year is always rung in with the hope that the coming year will be better than the previous year. Even if you experienced a stellar year, there's hope that the coming year will be even better. There's nothing wrong with wanting life to go well. Does anybody wish for chaos and misery? We all know life isn't perfect. Life is full of challenges. Sometimes those challenges turn into battles. How we react and respond to life's curve balls can sometimes play a large factor in the outcome. Do you escalate the situation or try to minimize it by sorting through all the incorrect nonsense or unrealistic fears? The way we respond is certainly within our control.

I've had several discussions, over the years, with my girls about delivery and reaction. Most sibling arguments, or any argument for that matter, could have been avoided if more attention would have been paid to how a message was delivered. The delivery inspires a reaction. Will the reaction cause an emotional escalation or will it calm and redirect the situation? Those are some of life's lessons. It takes years and a lot of practice but the hope is that eventually everyone will learn how to better handle a bad delivery and avoid a bad reaction. Life is never boring and it's a continuous learning experience.

There is usually a difference between adults and children when it comes to their behavior. Adults, who are far from perfect and do not get everything right, have been through many more of life's experiences. At a certain point, you learn to handle the bumps in the road or the occasional nose dive into the ditch with a little more decorum than a two-year old who just had their favorite toy taken away from them.

As I looked back over the stories and events of this past year, the one reoccurring theme was bad behavior and getting away with bad or highly questionable behavior. What is even more disturbing is how bad behavior has become acceptable in our society. You see it in the news, on the big and little screens, all over the internet and through the world of technology. The vile hatred and nastiness which shows up on these platforms is alarming, but so is its acceptance.

We have watched scandalous behavior take place within our government. The practices and policies of the former administration severely harmed our country. Even though there was always someone who cried foul, most scandals were swept under the former presidential rug. When desired election results didn't go the way supporters of the former administration anticipated, supposed adults behaved like two-year olds who lost their favorite toy. This type of behavior continued throughout this past year. When the crying and wailing took an occasional break, it was only for the slightly older adolescent behavior of pointing fingers and blaming others. Of course, we were also treated to the “look at me” behavior of the former president. Someone doesn't like being out of the spotlight.

The degree to which people will go in an attempt to destroy an individual or to push an agenda has become a very serious problem. What's even more concerning is when the behavior is not seen as questionable or down right wrong. Evidence, truth or the rules of law have become optional if your politics favor the Left. Double standards blatantly exist.

How can we expect the next generation to understand abuse of power and that they are being led astray if no one is held accountable? How can we expect the young people of today to behave appropriately if certain social standards no longer exist? Is there such a thing as appropriate behavior in our society these days? Anything seems to be acceptable if it supports the Left-wing political agenda.

As we start a new year, it is my hope that this year will be better than last year. Each year is filled with challenges and triumphs. There will always be outside forces which will try to get the better of you. Recognizing patterns and understanding the difference between obstacles which were intentionally thrown at you and the one's that just happen can be challenging. But, once you understand how to recognize the difference and you sort through the nonsense, a bump in the road or even a nose dive into a ditch can be turned into a personal triumph. Life is far from perfect and many of life's challenges are beyond our control. Our actions and reactions, however, are well within our control.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

Mark Twain