I usually write this blog on Monday morning as I’m preparing for the week. This week, instead of writing, I drove a friend to his oncology appointment and spent the morning with him. I see how he’s suffering from cancer and wrestle with how out of control our lives can seem when something bad happens.
I’ve made a career of it
My entire career has been accompanying others in painful times whether serving as a Pastor in San Francisco, a Chaplain on a hospital ship in West Africa or now as a Psychotherapist in the North Bay Area.
Can’t change your situation? Then change your attitude
One of the results of humans going through difficult circumstances is that we realize how we can’t always control the world around us, however, we can control our response and attitude towards challenges. Seeing a therapist is also an effective way to process existential crises.
As I think about my friend, I’m inspired by his determination to enjoy the time he has with his children and wife even in the midst of his personal storm that ultimately affects them all.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.