Attitude Is Survival
Life is like a marathon. You must not only push through the most difficult, painful moments to finish the race, you must get in great condition first so you will have the tools to do so. Your attitude is your mental conditioning to take on the marathon of life.
Challenges come when you least expect them. On March 12, 2010, I accompanied my husband to the doctor to check out a soreness in his throat. She put a scope into his throat and within seconds, offered this terrible diagnosis: “You have cancer.” In seconds, our lives changed. “How bad?” my husband asked her. “Stage 3 or 4,” she replied. It was a deadly tumor – all of our energies now focused on how to respond to this challenge.
The news was devastating, but I did not cry. I don’t think I was being strong – I really believe I was in shock. Afterward, for two weeks, I did cry – a lot. I cried when I thought about what was happening to my husband, but I also cried whenever one of our friends reached out to us to help, to bring dinner to our house or a card or a hug. Their outpouring of care made me weep. I realized that I had never been as caring or compassionate as these friends were being for me. They gave me back my strength.
After the two-week period of grief and tears, I refocused and began practicing what I had been preaching. Attitude is everything. Life throws terrible things at you sometimes. But your attitude determines everything – attitude is survival.
