Friday night my friend read my palm. He told me I had a short life-line. Not only is it short, but it also has a downward slope.
"Your life-line is telling me that your life is going to get progressively shittier," he said, half laughing. Both of us stared closer into my wrinkled future.
"But there are lines stemming from it," he said, "different paths slanting upwards."
This seemed more encouraging to me. Cheating my imprinted fate was possible! Palm reading may be a parlor trick, but something about my unprofessional reading stuck with me. For years I complained that I peaked in 8th grade; I wanted so badly to go back to the "golden years" of age 13 again.
I've made big mistakes, lost friends, seen death and disappointment. For years I cursed my bad luck - "punishment", I used to call it. But soon enough I came to see how wrong that was. I've battled my emotions and myself. I've crawled my way through tragedy and adversity...but what I failed to see was the gift each of us is given: joy. Joy through triumph, joy through love, joy in the simple things. Once I opened my heart to the world and those I share it with, my eyes were clouded with tears of a different kind. I see life as a place of opportunity for all things: love, friendship, family, joy, adventure, knowledge...
When I look out onto the streets here in India, I see many things. Some very sad, that's true, but what I notice most, undeniably, is the light the glows from each face. I see joy all around. I see joy in the men who squat in the dirt to play cards. Joy when a child waves at me. Joy in a job well done. Joy in life. Appreciation for life.
Everyone should take a few moments and think about where they find joy.
Lord knows it did me some good.
--Aimee
No comments:
Post a Comment