Why it Matters What Happens When the Chips are Down

Staying stuck in a rut should only be a temporary problem.  With gratitude and supplication, each of us can bring back joy. Each of us can look around and remember for what we should be grateful.  Tragedy and loss will find us, but lean into a joyful spirit.  From great pain and sorrow, strength and achievement come...

Each and every day, we are presented with challenges and opportunities.  Some natural leaders are highly skilled at thinking big and going after projects with tenacity in preparation for the grander vision.  They are able to leap, hurdle, roll, and nullify any objections easily without blinking an eye.  What sets them apart, what is the 'secret sauce' which makes them that much different than the rest?  It what's they do when the chips are down. 

My grandmother was one of those ladies; she worked in nursing her entire career - with a median wage and countless hours in service to others.  When she got home, she encountered more strife and anxiety.  When members of the household lost employment, lost possessions, etc. - who did they rely on?  The matriarch of the family - the emotional head of household.  She kept things in order, always.  You see, she grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth; the daughter of a bottling tycoon from Northern Ireland.  She never worried at all as a child; she had maids, daily baths (yes, that was uncommon in middle class even), food always on the table and her church parish for support (and five siblings).  She chose to marry a gentleman who would eventually ask her to perform the biggest challenge of her life; uproot with five children and move to Australia.  The move would require a very, very long boat ride - with an unknown future.  The chips would certainly be down.  She had to be more, to everyone - including herself.  

Sarah Josephine (was her name) and she showed just what happens with true grit and tenacity.  Eventually, her husband would succumb to dementia/Alzheimer's disease - and she died shortly thereafter (many think, of a broken heart).  The moral of the story is that - she could've done a lot of things differently which could've yielded turmoil and chaos in not only her life but the lives of her offspring.  Instead, she held the family up when the chips were down.  Who would've thought that a young 'entitled' mother could turn the tides and become the backbone of the family through hard work (not only as a mother but as a nurse).  Through her efforts, her children and grandchildren would go on to live very meaningful lives.  

In making the right course corrections throughout life, the ripple effect is great.  The implications of what transpires far outreach one's present understanding.  These are the legacies which remain for generations.  Be more than you thought you could be, or what society expected of you.  Change the stigma, labeling, stereotyping, and bias - and get the resources you need to lead a successful rest of your life.  It's no one else's responsibility but yours.  Hoooahhh!