Life is a Battlefield

Life isn't always easy, in fact, it's a series of challenges. Sure, some people seem to have a charmed life, but I believe that even those that seem to have it easy, may just be good at detaching. Anyone in touch with their emotions knows this: That life is a series of ups and downs; Being happy is a matter of perspective and lastly; That true connections are rare and are often taken for granted. We live in a transitory world, where information comes fast and peoples loyalties can change as quickly as the tides. I adore children because they are our future. How do we teach them to hold onto their integrity, their honor and their hopefulness in a world that often teaches them the opposite? I know I'm a dreamer, but this world needs more hopefulness. I'm now over the half way point in my life and when you get past the half way mark, you begin to really reflect about things. I feel like I've progressed yet still have so much to learn. When I was a teenager, I was a hopeless romantic and I believed in love. Then life happened. I found myself in a series of relationships, which seemed less about love and mostly ended up leaving me feeling lost. I don't want to lose that part of me, the woman that loves from the heart with abandon. Yet, I too struggle with holding onto hope. I fight the hopelessness daily, combating it like a soldier heading into battle. I arm myself with armor, not enough to hide but enough to shield myself from the harsh realities in life that attempt to break my spirit. I use my wit and humor to diffuse the hurts and gratitude to dodge the negativity. There are days that I sure wish I could bury my head under the covers to hide from some of the hardships I've had to contend with. I can't though, because I cannot surrender, no matter how much I sometimes would love to wave the white flag. I'm too competitive to give in and give up. So I head into battle by waking up and being a good soldier. I imagine that soldiers in war must have to find some higher purpose to forge on, even when their worlds are crumbling around them. It's a true testament of our spirit. My battleground may be more of a cold war, one with spies and allies, but I choose to approach life with the optimism of a child and the sense and strength of a General. We can teach our children hope, by letting them dream while giving them practical tools to navigate life's mine fields successfully. Maybe my biggest error was that I didn't know that mine fields and enemies existed. My optimism left me vulnerable and naive. I wish I had been sufficiently warned. Maybe it would have saved me some near fatal wounds, or maybe not. Perhaps I wouldn't have listened or believed the warnings. I guess this goes back to life's ups and downs, and that we all must learn in our own way. So this life and this war remains like all wars, with no winners and no losers. Nobody ever really wins in battle. There are only survivors, and as a survivor, I will become stronger from the experience. Since happiness is a perspective, even in my moments of sadness, I choose happiness. I suppose the naive girl in me does still exist with the strong General at her side. That's life...the duality of strength and innocence, war and peace and of course....love and loss.