Hanging In There

You know the term "Heaven-sent"? It describes something that seems so good to us that it must come from that place of ultimate happiness and joy. It's a cool, gentle rain on a blazing August day. It's a kind Samaritan who "just happens" to be a mechanic, pulling over to help you fix that flat tire. It's something that seems much too custom-made to make us happy, to be any sort of cosmic accident. These things help restore our faith - In God and in each other.

I think the opposite of "Heaven-sent" is "Hellacious".

Oh, yes. You know that feeling, as well. You get the budget balanced, only to find that your HMO doesn't cover your prescriptions anymore, and it's going to cost you $250.00 more a month to stay well (maybe). You get the laundry finished and folded, just before you discover that your cat has diarrhea and has been shut in your room all morning. You just stocked the freezer with meals for the next month, and the power goes out. The electric company promises to have everything fixed.....by tomorrow.

Yep. That's hellacious.

So what do we do when life gets hellacious? How do you deal with these apparently plotted events that seem to be telling us that the universe is out to get us?

• Keep Your Perspective Straight

  The universe isn't really out to get you, even if it may seem that way when you're scrubbing cat poop out of the carpet. In the vast grand scheme of the cosmos, it's really just cat poop. Seriously. How cosmic can that be, even for cats?

  For every hellacious incident in your day, there is at least one "Heaven-sent" event. You just may be having a hard time noticing them. If you made a note of everything that happens in a day and organized them into a "Good" list and a "Bad" list, the chances are that the lists would be even. At worst, they might be a little slanted toward the bad, but you can choose to focus on all the nice things. Ignore the meatloaf "incident" and remind yourself that your best friend called just to see how you were. Aren't you lucky to have someone who cares? Darn straight you are!

• Keep Your Temper

  Although it may seem like a sweet temptation to lose it completely when things are heating up, you might want to keep a lid on your boiling anger. We often unload on innocent bystanders and come across as complete lunatics. Your kids and spouse may have no idea that you're under deadlines, that theirs is the fifteenth crisis that you've had to "fix" today, and that you seem to be the only person within 500 miles who knows how to drive properly. (You are, aren't you? I thought so - Me too.) Don't become part of the problems of the universe by becoming a shrieking mad, bitter person. At best, you'll come off as crazy, but at worst, you'll come off as sad: "Oh, the poor thing! The lupus must really be getting to her!" Arrrgh! Who wants that?

  The copyright of the article Hanging In There in Lupus is owned by Karyn Moran Holton. Permission to republish Hanging In There in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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