LIfe's Challenges and Attitudes

Clear Creek Falls, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA (click to enlarge)

One of my new favorite movies is “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” a 2011 British film starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy and others.  Not only have I liked the past work of these actors but I admire their skills. The movie is a study of the human condition, the ability to cope with the challenges of aging and retirement as well as dealing with adversity (germane to many of my age).  

The movie highlights several individuals who, at retirement, have discarded their old lives (some by necessity and some by choice) and tread off to a totally new adventure.  Two ideas in the movie that I like are, first, (and I believe slightly paraphrased) “It will be all right in the end, and it if is not all right, then it is not yet the end.” 

The other is about not wanting to get older, retire and be “marginalized” by society and the fear associated with thought about one’s life not really mattering to anyone else.  The action associated with that character was to chuck everything and move halfway across the world, into the unknown.

Life zigs and zags, takes unexpected turns and continues to surprise.  In my view, Plan A for our lives, developed when we were young, almost never works out, but what does work out is almost always better in the end.  If your Plan A had worked out and what you would not have today, including your spouse, children, job, experiences, happiness, sadness, etc.  Yes, sadness and failure are important experiences in life, in my view.  Sadness and pain have value, the least of which is keeping us grounded and appreciating the joys of life.

I think we always need to try to look around the corner to see what is coming, what is thrown our way, then seize it with all that we have.  Like water over a waterfall, life throws us curves, fastballs change-ups, and sliders, but until the very end, it just keeps on coming and we have to meet the challenges and deal with whatever cards we are dealt.  And usually, it all works out to be good for us.  We might not think so at the time, but almost always looking back, overcoming adversity has been good for us.

“It will be all right in the end, and it is not all right, then it is not yet the end.”  What a wonderful optimistic philosophy of looking forward for the best ahead of us.

Thanks for looking.

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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