Shipwreck

Have you ever had a time where everything seemed to go wrong? Of you have because everybody does at one time or another. I was chatting with a friend the other day who was going through just such a spell. It seemed no matter what was done it went wrong.

The strange thing about it is that it so often just gets worse. From everything going wrong, it is a short step to everything you say is wrong. Of course, there is a connection. When you feel down you concentrate less and so the spiral of wrong gets worse.

 There was a man who was shipwrecked and all alone on a small island.

Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. Things for a moment seemed to be getting better.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost, even his one or two personal items that had become so important to him, were gone.

He was stung with grief and anger. "Why oh why is this happening to me?" he cried. He had what I call a dose of the “poor me’s.”

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad.

Remember next time your little hut is burning to the ground,  it just may be a smoke signal that summons the love of friends.

As the sage says, "This too shall end."  We all indeed have shipwreck moments and times but often they are just the interval to the next great moments.

Have a great day.