Why do bad things happen in clusters?
4 years ago
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when bad things happen to good gardens
Comments (6)Look for the silver lining in this sad situation. It now looks as if you have a chance to 'renew' your garden. New plants, new design perhaps. Lots of new activities. Call it a rejuvination. As for the lost daffodils - may I suggest going to the grocery store and purchase potted force dahlias and plunk them in the ground. I recall a British gardener who routinely potted his bulbs in pots and plunked down the plants pot in all in holes around his yard. He did this to allow him to change the kind of bulbs yearly. In your case, it will provide instant uplifting of the spirits. And for a bit of fun, don't tell your neighbors how you achieved this 'miracle' Ianna...See MoreGeesh-- why do bad things happen?
Comments (20)You're asking the big questions, Anele, & you are getting a lot of wonderful responses that are speaking to Truth, if not providing concrete "answers." There is something to be said for Surrender...accepting that we don't have all the answers & never will. Life is largely a mystery that can't be contained by our minds- within our concepts & thoughts about it. But while we will never have all the answers tied up with a bow, there are pointers! A common theme you see over & over on this thread is the redemptive nature of adversity. Repeatedly, we see that without losses, hardships, suffering, the better angels of our human nature would not have been revealed, much less developed. We can't help but conclude that ultimately, Suffering, the situation we would never ask for, serves a purpose in our evolution as humans. I like this quote from Eckhart Tolle- "Even within the seemingly most unacceptable & painful situation is concealed a deeper good, & within every disaster is contained the seed of grace." Another pointer I see expressed on this thread is to be careful how we label things! Do we really know (since life is so mysterious) what is "good" or "bad?" Here is one of my favorite stories that illustrates the wisdom of not labeling experience. "Maybe"- A Chinese story, kind of a Taoistic story about a philosophic farmer: One day, the farmer's horse ran away, and all the neighbors gathered in the evening and said that's too bad. He said "Maybe." Next day, the horse came back and brought with it seven wild horses. "Wow!" they said, "Aren't you lucky!" He said "Maybe." The next day, his son grappled with one of these wild horses and tried to break it in, and he got thrown and broke his leg. And all the neighbors said "Oh, that's too bad that your son broke his leg." He said, "Maybe." The next day, the conscription officers came around, gathering young men for the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. And the visitors all came around and said "Isn't that great! Your son got out." He said, "Maybe." Often we decide what is good or bad too hastily, while Life's wisdom unfolds......See MoreWhy do I feel bad about this?
Comments (8)I try to keep a mindset that I'm not blaming or accusing anyone, I'm simply involving the other party in solving a problem *we* have. In other words, this isn't about your builder doing wrong, being incompetent etc. It is only about a door that isn't right, so what needs to be done to make it right? Hey, you and he are on the same team, because OF COURSE he wants to have that door done correctly! Sometimes the interaction doesn't go smoothly but I've always found by starting out on a positive let's-fix-this-together spirit, often things stay pretty upbeat and there isn't much if any negativity involved. To get defensive, a person needs to perceive that s/he is being attacked. Once that pattern is initiated, it is usually downhill for both parties. If you don't trigger someone else into feeling the need to fight back, the discussion can often stay very cordial and the problem will get solved to everyone's satisfaction. And....how can you feel bad about that?! :) Ann...See MoreDo you believe things happen.....
Comments (28)The short answer - No. The long answer is that every thing that happens gives us a chance to react either positively or negatively. If you search out the positive that can be gained from an event, then you're likely to percieve it as "it was meant to be", or "it was God's will", or whatever. However, if you are don't seek a meaning, events are just events. I had a neighbor with a profoundly deaf daughter. She wailed all the time about her deaf daughter, but made no attempt to get the girl either into a special school, or to get her an interpreter for public school. Interpreters are provided free by the state here. No, she said "All things happen for a reason", well, maybe, but it doesn't relieve you of responsibility for dealing with them. I don't think every bad thing is for a reason. Things happen. Yes, have faith. But deal with the things. I seriously don't think it matters if something "was meant to be". All that matters is how one deals with it. That is the only control one has....See More- 4 years ago
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