Truth Bomb Tuesday: The thing I learnt from my worst winter…
Winter is hard.
Ok, yes, I’m a Queenslander. Yes, as far as Victorians are concerned, I don’t have a clue what winter is. And yes, as a woman of independent wealth, I’ve insulated myself away from the harsh struggles that a lot of people are facing right now.
I’m not putting my hand up for any pity awards here.
But still, I know that winters are hard.
And I guess I want to put it like that because I think it’s worth remembering that life moves in seasons.
Sometimes it’s the yearly seasons – the way the short cold days of winter give way to the endless heat of summer.
Sometimes we’re talking about life’s seasons. I’m definitely not in my spring anymore, but I’m not in my winter just yet either.
(I’m full summer baby!)
And sometimes we’re talking about epochs and eras. All empires have their seasons too.
But just as the threat of winter looms over every summer, so is the promise of summer held in every winter.
Nothing is forever. The wheel is always turning.
And I know it doesn’t feel like it. Right now, winter is hard. Right now, you might be looking at an uncertain financial future. You might be wondering how you’re going to hang on to the business. Heaven forbid, you might be wondering how you’re going to hang on to the house.
This is hard.
I’ve had more than a few winters in my life too.
When I was a single-mum, freshly separated, dealing with a former business partner who had swindled me for a fortune, things were tough. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to hang on to the business. I thought I might lose the house.
In my darkest moments I didn’t even know if I’d be able to keep the kids.
Back then, I had to pull myself through some very cold winters indeed, let me tell you.
And when you’re in the middle of it, when you’re buried in it, it really feels like it’s going to go on forever. You can’t see a way out of it.
There’s no light at the end of the tunnel. There’s no silver lining on those clouds. You just think, “this is my life now”.
But nothing lasts forever.
Winter gives way to spring sooner or later.
This is the real truth of things. Hard times come and hard times go.
And we grow and get through it and do the best we can.
And when we do, when spring comes, as it always does, it’s all the more sweeter for the winter we’ve survived.
So I don’t know who needs to hear this right now. I know a lot of people are doing it really tough. I’m really thinking of all our friends in Victoria right now too. Our heart goes out to you.
But hang in there. Winter is hard, but spring is coming.
One way or another, sooner or later, spring is coming.
I can promise you that.
DB.