Life Goes On

After reading 'Chasing Fireflies' by Charles Martin I started wondering how it is that some people can lose everything and end up living in the gutter while others lose the same things and seem to be able to get on with life, and others seem to actually be happier without those things than when they had everything? I think the first thing to remember is that 'everything' is relative. To some people if they aren't the richest on the block with the most toys and the fanciest things they don't have anything. While others feel that it isn't about stuff but about the people and lifestyle that makes everything.

So when posed with the question 'How would you cope if you lost everything?' one would first have to decide upon what is meant by everything. To me money and personal belongings are not everything, I can get another job, I can get another house, car or camera...although I wouldn't want to have to, it can be done. And it can be said that I can get another husband, or child but it is not the same as I can never replace the ones I have. Things are replaceable and even if you can't get the same things you had before you can replace them but people can't be replaced. So for me there are two answers to this question.

Answer One:

If I was to lose everything that I owned, all my possessions how would I cope? It would be difficult. I am unfortunately the type of person to see the glass as half empty so I know that losing my things would cause me to sink into a depression. I would see the loss of my things as a personal attack and would have a very difficult time accepting that I don't need them and they can be replaced. But over time I would move on and replace those things. I would be slow to accept that life goes on but I would do so with reservation. I am not the type of person to let things go so I would hold on the fact that I lost everything for a long time and would probably never really accept the loss.

Answer Two:

To me everything is my family, and the life we have together, so how would I cope if I lost them? That would be much harder for me. I have lived without my children for a long time and it was very difficult, I spent many years suffering depression and heart break due to them not being in my life and they were still there...just not with me. If I was to lose them forever I don't know that I could go on. My family is very 'unique' just like everyone else's and no matter how often I have said that life might be easier if I didn't have to put up with one quirk or another I would never want to live without that person. My oldest son is almost 19 years old and is contimplating moving about 7 hours from here, the thought of living that far from him not being able to see and talk to him every day scares me but at least I know he is still around, to lose him forever would be something I couldn't deal with.

The basic story line of 'Chasing Fireflies' is that no matter what you have, no matter what you lose as long as you know who you are and what makes you happy life will be worth living. Even though you might have less than others in material goods you might be better off because you have more in the way of things that make you happy. So 'Uncle Willee' says that if you don't have money and a fancy house and the respect of the neighbours doesn't mean you have nothing. If you have love, a happy home, a good family life and love what you do and have in your life no matter how much or how little you are blessed. So for me losing my worldly possessions might be a hard pill to swallow and I might be upset for awhile I know that I can replace them and move on. But to lose the things that make me happy and are close to my heart, those things I couldn't live without and never want to imagine what life would be like without them.