To be, or not to be. That is not the question, the question, at the moment, as it may simply be; can we not be what we where yesterday? If only, we say, but that has past, and tomorrow dawns as another day. Things will always be changing, above and beyond the realm of our control. Things will change for better, and things will change for worse, however no matter the outcome, things have been forever changed, and there is nothing that we can do about the matter. No matter how many tears we shed, no matter how many games of "what if", and "if only" we play; life continues its assiduous journey forward.
We need to learn grasp that concept. To learn that there will never be a time of rest and peace in our life, a time without the strife and conflict of change. A time without the pain and suffering of life's hardships. As time passes, our concept and mentality of life will change drastically, from the carefree days of childhood, protected by the innocence of things we didn't know or understand, to the harsh awaking of how cold life can really be as the daggers of reality hit home on our heart, and we are left wondering "why?".
As we progress through life, the presence of new ideas, both good and bad are presented to us. It is the proper understanding of these new ideas that help us cope with change. Knowledge is the key to change, for as we understand more, we should learn to change and adapt to what we have learned. If we do not, every time life throws a roadblock in our path, our ability to deal with it is hindered by our lack of what we should have learned.
It's not the car accident; it's not the parent that died of cancer, nor the loss of a house to fire that destroys someone's life and leaves them a shadow of their former self. It's the bully who picked on them on the play ground, and they ran away and declared they would never fit in, it's the first test they failed and they declared they were dumb and would never be able to do anything right, It's the first love they lost and they declared that no one would ever love them, it's the first job they had to quit and they declared they would never be able to succeed. That is when they gave up on life, that is when they became weak and susceptible to the hurdles of life, each new one being just a little higher, till they reached the one they couldn't clear.
Yet we know it can't all be like that, we all know someone that seems invincible to the hardships of life, the person who seems that nothing phazes them, and you wonder how they can live like that.
The bully picked on them, and they didn't take it personally, they failed their first test and realized that they didn't study enough, they lost their first love and knew there would be others, they had to leave their first job and knew their calling was elsewhere. They where in the car accident, and where thankful they where still alive, they lost a parent to cancer and realized it was for the best because the pain and suffering was gone, they lost a house to fire, but were thankful for the opportunity to rebuild.
A person's life isn't shaped by the events of their life, but shaped by how they choose to deal with those events. It's up to you to decide to stop worrying about what can't be changed in the past, and act upon what can be changed in the future.
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming: WOW! WHAT A RIDE!" ---author unknown