I'm sure at one point or another, we've all woken up one morning and had this thought or something very similar creep into our consciousness, "How did I end up at this point in my life?"
The strange or perhaps not-so-strange thing is when we utter "How did I end up at this point in my life?" it usually is meant in a rather negative sense or a way less than positive slant. Like, "How could I allow myself to have made those questionable decisions and ended up here?"
Every time that I've heard this, it has always been from a rather negative perspective.
Back in 2019, when living along the shores of Georgian Bay, Lynn and I hiked along the North Shore Rugged Trail just outside the Town of Parry Sound.
When hiking along, we happened upon this discarded engine casing from riding lawnmower. Of the many questions that entered my mind, when I saw it was, "How in the hell did it get there or how did it end up here?"
We both threw around some half-baked and funny suggestions as to how it did get there, but realistically we have no freaking clue as to how or why?
Nevertheless, and without solving the mystery of the engine casing, why is "How did I end up at this point in my life?" such a negative phrase? Why do we only seem to bellow it out, at low points in our journey through life?
My question is, why can't it be used in more positive situations or have a positive tone associated with it?
Why can't "how did I end up at this point in my life" be used to celebrate where we might be at any given point in our life journey?
Let's not dwell on the negative aspects that might lead someone to utter that phrase.
There are plenty of scholarly articles that can be found on the web that deal with how and why from a negative perspective we get to certain points in our lives.
Now, having said that, I wonder if the issue is, that we're reluctant to "toot our own horn" because we feel guilty in some weird way in finding ourselves successful or at a good place in our life, regardless of how you might define that.
And isn't there a wagonload full of words and phrases that we tend to use in a negative light, that could just as well be used in a more positive sense?
Phrases like:
- "if I only knew back then what I know now"
- hindsight is 20/20
The point being is we often look back and think "How did I end up at this point in my life" and generally it has a negative slant associated with it.
We should be able to take that phrase and others as well; and reframe them to stand as positive elements that have gotten us to whatever point in our life that might be.
Notwithstanding, we all know there will be plenty of people who will have absolutely no problem fully illustrating to you in no uncertain terms "how you got to this point in your life?" if you ask them. And I can also almost guarantee the entire "4 - Netflix styled episodes" will be as negative as fuck.
If you're at a certain point or stage in your life with something to celebrate, don't be shy to ask yourself, "How did I get to this point in my life?"
Don't be afraid to toot your own horn.
My guess is you've probably worked exceedingly hard; given more than you've taken; and sacrificed unconditionally along the way. Or you're just in a good spot in life. Regardless of how or where you are - good for you.
--as always with love--
--- get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself ---
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