Whenever things get a bit difficult or do not go as planned, my dear husband would say, “things can always get worse.”
At first, this was a difficult concept for me to grasp as when something is not going well, why would I want to think how it could get worse?!
Being that my husband is my mentor and soulmate, I knew he only wanted the best for me, so I decided to internalize the message. Once I began living by this concept, my life changed so much, and I began to appreciate everything in life. Challenges were just that and did not become something to effect my mood or actions in a drastic way.
Let me give you an example of something that happened this week. A man in the community I grew up in had heart problems and diabetes. The diabetes caused damage and doctors said that his leg needed to be amputated.
Naturally, the family can be concerned about how they will manage after surgery. He was a man who ran a business that kept him on his feet a lot. They knew that life after surgery will never be the same, and it will be a difficult adjustment.
If someone were to tell this family, “look at the bright side things can get worse appreciate the way things are” it would have seemed like a very cruel thing to say to the worried and suffering family.
However, all those worries went out the window when during surgery, the man’s organs shut down and doctors were unable to save him.
Now, looking back, oh how they wish they would have been able to have their father home with just one leg and all the hardships it would have entailed.
This is an extreme case, however, whenever you have a dilemma or hardship in life, take a moment to stop and think about how your situation can get worse. Once you put things into prospective, you be able to be grateful to Hashem for your current situation and how good you have it now.
Devorim 28:23 (בַּבֹּ֤קֶר תֹּאמַר֙ מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן עֶ֔רֶב וּבָעֶ֥רֶב תֹּאמַ֖ר מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן בֹּ֑קֶר (דברים כח סז
IN THE MORNING THOU SHALT SAY, WOULD IT WERE EVEN! — i.e. would that it were again yesterday evening,
בבקר תאמר מי יתן ערב. וְיִהְיֶה הָעֶרֶב שֶׁל אֶמֶשׁ:
בובערב תאמר מי יתן בקר. שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית, שֶׁהַצָּרוֹת מִתְחַזְּקוֹת תָּמִיד וְכָל שָׁעָה מְרֻבָּה קִלְלָתָהּ מִשֶּׁלְּפָנֶיהָ (עי’ סוטה מ”ט):
AND AT EVEN THOU SHALT SAY, WOULD IT WERE MORNING! — i.e. the morning of today, because the misery will constantly grow more severe, and the curse of each hour will be greater than that of the preceding (cf. Sotah 49a).
Once you learn to be live in the now and be happy now with what you have today, your life will become much more meaningful, peaceful and happy.
