Last Friday morning I headed to Shop Rite early so I could avoid the crowds. When I was exiting the parking lot, I had to wait for a young man who was riding his bike. He gave me pause for many reasons. It was cold that morning, about 42 degrees. He wasn’t wearing gloves or a helmet. He was in his mid-twenties, maybe, and clearly headed to work at a local restaurant. 

Have you thought about your own adversity? Clearly this young man is facing his head on. Have you ever had to ride a bike to work as an adult in the cold weather on a major road? It’s not really the adversity, but our reaction to it, that determines what we are made of. It’s a great indicator of how much moxie we have buried inside of us. 

If I spoke to the young man riding the bike, do you think he would tell me of his struggle? I honestly don’t think he would. I think it’s his life. No sad story. It just is. Maybe he’s even grateful he has a bike and doesn’t have to walk? I’ll never know. Do you have a story of struggle? What would happen if you stopped telling it? Better yet, what would happen if you chose to retell the story as the hero not the victim? Today, decide whether you want to be the renegade or the damsel in distress? It’s always your choice.

With Gratitude,
Beth