| "Good things happen slowly and bad things happen | | | | by our past choices. We have both the ability and |
| fast," the doctor in the Intensive Care Unit told | | | | the responsibility to make better choices beginning |
| Abigail Thomas. She had met the ambulance at | | | | today." |
| the emergency room after her husband was hit | | | | One of Jim's favorite sayings is, "Anything |
| by a car as he was taking the dog for a walk. He | | | | worthwhile is never easy." The good that came |
| was eventually transferred to the ICU and then | | | | from the tragedy in Ms. Thomas' life was |
| went on to live in various rehabilitation hospitals, in | | | | hard-won and took time. She had to make difficult |
| the effort to help them both adjust to living with | | | | choices and then wrestle with guilt over those |
| the resulting, permanent brain damage. Ms. | | | | choices. She had to face her fears and take |
| Thomas tells of their experience in her book A | | | | some new risks. She learned through active |
| Three Dog Life. | | | | experience what Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do |
| It only took a moment for the accident to | | | | not be too timid and squeamish about your |
| forever change the lives of Thomas and her | | | | actions. All life is an experiment," as she forged a |
| husband. It took years for him to recover as | | | | new direction for her life. |
| much as he ever would and for both of them to | | | | I like what Rohn said, "But while we curse the |
| adjust to their new lives. Through the pain and | | | | effect, we continue to nourish the cause." I think |
| hardship that were a part of the recovery | | | | about areas of my life where I have to question, |
| process, good things came as well. | | | | "Am I upset about the effect, the results I see |
| I was reminded of what the doctor told Ms. | | | | and don't like, but at the same time, am I |
| Thomas when I read this quote by motivational | | | | nourishing the cause of those effects by not |
| speaker Jim Rohn, "What we ponder and what | | | | making different choices? Am I being timid and |
| we think about sets the course of our life. Any | | | | squeamish, letting fear and hesitation rule my |
| day we wish, we can discipline ourselves to | | | | choices?" |
| change it all. Any day we wish, we can open the | | | | Thomas could have responded to the tragedy |
| book that will open our mind to new knowledge. | | | | with anger, self-pity, and a victim mentality but |
| Any day we wish, we can start a new activity. | | | | she chose to respond with grace, dignity and |
| Any day we wish, we can start the process of | | | | openness to learning. Yes, at times there was |
| life change. We can do it immediately, or next | | | | anger and self-pity, but she didn't let herself stay |
| week, or next month, or next year. | | | | there. I think that's the key. We're going to |
| We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather | | | | experience a variety of human emotions and |
| than perform. And if the idea of having to change | | | | reactions to things that happen to us but if we're |
| ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can | | | | really going to grow, we have to rise above them. |
| remain as we are. We can choose rest over | | | | One of the things that has been most helpful to |
| labor, entertainment over education, delusion over | | | | me to keep things in perspective when bad things |
| truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are | | | | happen is to ask myself, "What can I learn from |
| ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we | | | | this?" Then I have to remind myself that the |
| continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare | | | | learning process is just that -- a process, not an |
| uniquely observed, 'The fault is not in the stars, | | | | event -- and give myself some grace. |
| but in ourselves.' We created our circumstances | | | | |