I am visiting my son Ronin in hospital several times each day -and it is remarkable how quickly things can change between visits. This morning he was in great spirits, having had most of the tubes removed from his body and able to even get into a wheelchair and head out into a garden area for a bit of sun for half an hour or so. But then this afternoon, after his usual battery of x-rays, blood-tests, etc were done, we were told that he had to have a couple of drainage tubes inserted in through his back to drain excess fluid building up in his lungs. This is an extraordinarily painful procedure and makes it impossible to sleep - he went through it all about five days ago and the prospect of going through it all again has been a big blow for him. he has had three major operations in the space of a week and it is beginning to take a toll on him - he is young after all; and has much to learn about dealing with adversity. What I see as five steps forward and one step back, he sees as one step forward and two steps back. I spent a bit of time today trying to help him see that he is now walking a road that very few people have ever walked; and each step down it will, if it doesn't kill him, make him stronger.
When faced with adversity, we should seize the opportunity for the growth and learning that it can offer; especially, when there is little or nothing we can physically do about it. The one thing we can always exert some measure of control over, is the way in which we think about things. The road less travelled, in my humble opinion, is not without - but rather within.
JBW
