susanlauren

Today I have been thinking about "the best things" that have ever happened to me and "the worst things" that have ever happened to me. I am coming to the conclusion that I don't know and can't judge what is "good" or "bad".

Things that I thought were bad/terrible/awful have turned out to be blessings and gifts. Things that I thought were good/helpful/desirable have turned out to be disasters in the making. What has been your experience?
Susan

Boleo

The first month that I spent as an OTR truck driver (aka Lab-rat) was the worst of the worst times I have ever had. YET, I experienced more Satori, Moksha and Nirodha experiences during that period than in any other before or since. I even had about 2 minutes of pure ecstacy. I came to believe in the old saying:

"In this life pain is inevitable - but suffering is optional".

BackToSquareOne

There's an old saying something to the effect that when one door closes another one opens, seems thay can often work both ways. My cousin, (an investment banker) recently told me a story about one of his best friends that made a fortune trading commodities. He bought his yacht, plane, vacation home etc., then eventually lost it all and then some on a few bad trades. He committed suicide. His very good thing turned into a very bad thing...

yeahgr8

Thought you might like this one:

There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and when all the farmer's neightbours sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply again was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

Then when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off his back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this was very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?

source Sadhana: A Way to God, Anthony De Mello

GettingStronger2

This put a huge smile on my face. I have come to believe that the difficulties we face are our greatest opportunities for growth. They make us stronger so long as we don’t miss that chance.

Thanks for this post, Susan. Always a great reminder.

WakeUp

I avoid labeling things as good or bad, they just are. One things seems bad, turns out good, and vice versa.

NYCDoglvr

Of course ... none of us can see into the future. We can't see the consequences of an action or event.

Tommyh

Susan,on page 100,it explains it better than I could.

when we look back,we realize that the things that came to us when we put ourselves in Gods hands was better than anything we could have done.

no matter what my situation,if I put it in Gods hands,it really does turn out better than my judging or trying to manage it by myself.Good or bad,He enables me to stay sober and reasonably peaceful

susanlauren

When I started this thread, I was thinking of my 8-9 month wilderness experience. For those who don't know, that was "the my will and my way, I just won't drink, I don't need AA, I don't need the steps and I don't need a Higher Power" period of my life.

At first I thought it was a bad thing. After all, those 8-9 months were a miserable time in my life. Just not drinking meant that I was suffering from the full effects of untreated alcoholism. It was hell on earth. How could anything positive come of this?

Then it occurred to me: if I hadn't had that experience, I would not be where I am today. That dark time caused me enough fear, pain and desperation to drive me to my knees in surrender and give me willingness to fully embrace/accept AA's twelve steps.

I would not have done any of the work that has brought me to today but for the pain of that wilderness experience. Good thing? Bad thing? Only God knows for certain.
Susan

Boleo

"Adversity is the soil that the soul grows best in"
- Richard Paul Evans

Tippingpoint

Good and bad are just labels that we put on things and ideas and experiences. Whether or not you perceive it to be good or bad is a decision that happens in your brain. I think you'd have to consider yourself to be in a much better place when you can take something that you might have perceived as bad in the past and simply observe it without the labelling and all the baggage that goes with it.

LetsGoJets

Going through a "situation" where complete unmanagibility came crashing into my life in the last month turned out to be good for me. When it happened I felt as if the world had came crashing on me, but they have a saying in AA around me--"when the pain gets great enough, you start to move"-- so i hit a couple of things i wasnt seeing in inventory and today I am free as a result of that....when i say I am free, not only are the resentments and fears gone, but I feel like I have grown immensely through this experience.

NYCDoglvr

I've heard people say a relapse was the best thing that ever happened because they finally learned that they are indeed powerless over alcohol. And, they finally got serious about the program, got a sponsor and did the steps.

susanlauren

By all rights, I should have relapsed. I think the only reason I didn't pick up a drink is because God didn't allow me to. It had nothing to do with me. God did for me what I couldn't do for myself, despite the fact that I had pushed Him away. I am grateful. I intend to stay mighty close to Him and do whatever He asks of me to do. Susan