Growing Pains

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success acheived ~ Helen Keller

When I was a child, my feet hurt so much that I cried. My mother rubbed them to ease my discomfort, telling me they were growing pains and would pass. Not until adulthood did I understand how profoundly those words described life.

Growth takes work and, sometimes, pain.

How we process our reaction to it determines our experience. As with everything in life, we have a choice: the pain of staying where we are or the pain of growing beyond it.

No pain, no gain, a famous slogan for working out, took to our consciousness, and many correlated it to; a fabulous physique that took work and pain to achieve. Then the idea spread, and the term was applied to other aspects of life; anything worth having required sacrifice.

Pain, which can be equated to obstacles and setbacks, is temporary; it will not last forever. Nothing lasts forever; we are left with the growth it has provoked when it has passed.

The funny thing about growth is it takes an inevitable sacrifice. A seed breaks through its casing to sprout, leaving behind the shell’s safety, then pushes through the earth to potentially get eaten or trampled on, and with luck and perseverance, it grows into a tree.

The tree doesn’t hold back its growth to remain a seedling. It is not fearful of the probable growing pains. Branches break and regrow. The leaves are shed, making room for new sprouts.

Yet, as humans, we want to hold on to what is while professing we want to grow. We can’t have it both ways.

If we don’t sacrifice for what we want to become, we will sacrifice by staying exactly where we are. Energy begets energy; action begets action. Without it, we become stagnate. So again, we are faced with a choice. Stay as we are or move to become more.

We are in a significant transitional period of history. The microcosm of our lives is being shaken up. Evolution and growth are the results of the norm getting jolted. Many of our livelihoods are in question. The fear of the unknown has caused some to panic, others to become paralyzed, while many are in a holding pattern, waiting to see the next move.

How we manage our psyches is crucial to our experience. Out of the dark ages came the Renaissance. We have once again a great opportunity facing us. And thankfully, we have the consciousness to help guide our choices; we are never given more than we can handle.

When life is filled with turmoil, it indicates growth is upon us. We become stronger as the pain transforms into new opportunities. Growth and change are the results of the pain we endure.

If we become distressed by this pain, it is essential to remember it is not the pain that brings us these feelings but our judgment. Once we pass through it, we realize we are no longer the person who entered it but are, in fact, more.

When we look upon the challenge with gratitude, we can thank it for illuminating an area of our world that needed attention.

As with some seeds that need fire to germinate or the mythological phoenix bird rising from the ashes, we, too, have this potential for transformation. Difficulties have forced us to reevaluate our lives, profoundly questioning our path. Is it an old road or a new one? The choice is yours.