Reflections on Life: Good, Bad, and Everything in Between
It's been a constant question: what is good, what is bad? Often, what is right for me may not be right for others, and vice versa. As many of you already know, my mother passed away a week ago, and it's been a rollercoaster of emotions. There's something indescribable about this grieving process.
To keep it short, my relationship with my mother was also a rollercoaster. We had our moments when I distanced myself, but I always came back. She was the only person I felt comfortable crying to and sharing my struggles with. One of the most significant moments was when my mother accompanied me during the difficult time of fleeing to the United States, escaping for my life and with a broken heart. She cried with me, feeling powerless, trying to console me, saying, "Son, I know life is tough, just remember this too shall pass. You must be strong."
As I sit here writing this, I wish you were here by my side, telling me the same thing, "Just remember, this too shall pass." In your honor, mother, I know that "this too shall pass." Last night, in my sleepless nights, I watched a podcast on YouTube with Jay Shetty and guest Trevor Noah. Something clicked in me about how growing up with nothing shaped the person I am. It's not about material things; it's about how such situations shape our perspective on life differently.
This is something I've tried to understand all my life because when I tell stories, everyone reacts as if they should do something for me, and I've let this happen repeatedly because I thought it was the right thing to feel or be "normal." But what is normal? We all go through countless experiences, lived experiences, or whatever we want to call them, which are part of life. It's part of our process, our development as individuals, in our mission, if we want to call it that, or not. It's part of life. This is neither good nor bad; it just is!
Being authentic and vulnerable is something we criticize as a defense mechanism because we are scared to confront the comfort that we sometimes create in our social, family, or any space. Just remember that each of us chooses the path or learning that we decide to take. Just remember that there are situations beyond our control that we may never understand because our lives have a different focus, and this is neither bad nor good; it just is. And as my mother used to say when she saw me cry, "Give it time; this too shall pass."
I invite you to watch this fantastic interaction between these two individuals who open up to show their authenticity. It's neither good nor bad; it just is!