When it’s all said and done

I find myself sitting here, half-way through my vacation, staring out the window. Outside, the rain pours down, and I think to myself, “some vacation this is.” And then I stop myself and remember why the grass is green, why the birds fly, and why I was able to have a proper meal on my table today.

Today’s contemplation had me remember another form of rain: life’s suffering. Far be it for me to criticise life, but yes, sometimes life sucks. Sometimes it’s hard to know why life rains on your happiness, until you get past the stormy weather and understand what grew from it. And I think I’ve finally reached far enough of a distance away from those dark clouds that shrouded our life for what seemed like a lifetime.

I must not judge all of life by that one sole season in life

Between now and the last time I had time to sit down and write out my thoughts, I find one crucial piece of the puzzle: life ends, but new life also begins. As a recently-turned father to a son with Down syndrome, I can’t but be thankful for the tempests we had to endure, because the gratefulness for my lot in life has become significantly elevated because of it. While that lot might not appear the perfect one to everyone around, it turns out it’s the perfect one for me, with all its beautiful imperfection that has me smiling and secretly wish everyone else could even get a taste of.

As I’m about to conclude this blog post, I look out the window, where the rain has now stopped and the sunshine feels brighter than it’s ever been. And then I look down at my very own son-shine, and that smile reminds me that when it’s all said and done, I must not judge all of life by that one sole season in life, but be thankful for how that one season made all the other seasons greener, more full of life, and, crucially, how I’d never be satisfied if it were sunny every day of my existence.

To Amadeus.