embrace the grit

 ©Irving Penn.

One of my little mantras lately is EMBRACE THE GRIT. 

This is what I say in my head (after a few expletives) in reference to all the crappy things that happen in day to day life- some big, some small, some catastrophic and some just a pain in the butt. 

The Buddhists say that the very nature of life isn't perfect (they call it Samsara) and to expect it to be otherwise will set you up for disappointment and stress on a more or less continual basis. 

Sometimes the universe throws grit at us when we haven't learnt poignant lessons (and it will keep on throwing it thick and fast until we sit up and listen and effect requisite change!! I’ve blogged about this before here, here and here). And sometimes you find it strewn all over the place when the universe deems we are ripe to grow and learn of strengths we never had. But even when you've made a bucketload of positive changes and you've put seemingly grit-proof processes and procedures in place in all areas of your life, the grit will still rear its ugly head from time to time. Maybe to remind us that there are forces greater than us at play.

What I have learnt is to expect the grit and to embrace it. I've learnt to deal with it better. The grit is part of the very fabric of our life. I don't beat myself or others up when mistakes (inevitably) are made or disaster strikes. Instead, life morphs into a series of shoulder shrugs at the mess to clean up and ponderings on (even more) lessons learnt.  How you respond to the grit defines you as a person. Haven't you noticed how different people respond so differently to the grit? Some totally lose their sh%t and fight it, while others embrace it with ease and grace. And the latter is what I admire and aspire to. And isn't that observation a learning in and of itself?

What do you think? Have you embraced the grit?