Cat Stevens implored Trouble to go away, in his 1970s song by that title. Some people seem to attract trouble for their entire lives. Even those whose lives appear to be a bed of roses, must watch out for the thorns. We get into trouble when we mistakenly believe that the thorns won’t find us. The truth is, trouble will always find us when we have been complacent for too long. Life, quite simply, would not be life, without its challenges.
A tiger may have hunted successfully one day and his hunger is satiated; but soon his hunger will return and he will have to face the challenge of hunting again if he is to survive. Resisting change and resisting trouble only ensures its persistence.
I find myself resisting the seasonal changes. The cooler nights and shorter days fill me with dread of the ensuing cold and wind and snow. The disappearance of my late summer flowers and the falling of leaves that render the trees bereft of foliage, fills my heart with sadness. The way to see ourselves out of trouble is to look beyond it. If we focus only on the trouble, we increase its power. I know that I must look beyond winter. I must dream of spring when the trees burst forth in blossom and the snowdrops and grape hyacinths thrust their heads through the snow, followed by daffodils and tulips. Without winter, there would be no spring.
For every winter we face, there is a spring that follows. For every trouble we encounter, there is a time of peace and harmony. For every challenge we face, there is an answer – an answer that will bring us back to the eternal being that we are.
