Big Shoes to Fill

St. Augustine said, "I cried for boots, till I saw a man who had no legs."

Life is full of difficulties and obstacles, from birth to death. At times, life seems like a hurdle race. We are sure of encountering hurdles, but almost always we are taken by surprise. It is necessary to accept that life in general is full of difficulties and adversities. This recognition is the first step.

When faced with problems, we often feel, "I am the only one having such problems." Or, we tend to exaggerate our problems and regard them as the most complex, most painful, and as an extreme case. But if we look around us, we find people in much worse conditions.

When faced with adversities, we either grumble or seek to dodge them. We behave like an ostrich in the desert. It is said that when there is a storm in the desert, the ostrich buries his head in the sand—hoping that the storm will go away if he ignores it—and finally gets buried under a heap of sand and dies.

Then there are those who not merely survive, but prevail!