Unlearning our lessons from yesterday

Scarecrow's School Days
Scarecrow's School Days
Scarecrow’s School Days

One of the hardest things we have to do in life, is unlearn things that we have already been taught.

I had that experience today. As a child I was sick and since my family worked with health care I got to learn and experience many life-threatening situations for other people. What I learned as a child is that life is fragile. I didn’t realize how deeply it resonated with me.

Since learning this I have been acutely aware of the risks to life. I have always sought to maximize my health, and reduce my risks. Yet no matter how much I did, I realized that there was always more that I didn’t know and that I couldn’t fully assess my risk like other people.

You see I am adopted, and I have limited knowledge of my family genetic history. To me, when others say something runs in their family I am jealous. At least they know what to be prepared for. I don’t know what to be prepared for, so I try to prepare for everything. I take vitamins, I eat a healthy diet, I get enough rest and even exercise.

Yet that never feels like it is enough. I can’t control life, nor do I wish too, but the lesson that I learned as a child about how fragile life has had both helpful and unhelpful consequences. I realize that I have to make peace with the uncertainty of life, and that is part of its beauty. Since we never know when things will change/end, we have to enjoy the moment and love the people we are with.

What point is living, if we don’t take reasonable risks and enjoy it?

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