Are you an enlightened human being? Are you able to weather the storms of life without hiding below deck, curled up in a ball on your bunk or clinging in terror to the rail? I want to be enlightened. I want to be like Rose in the movie “Titanic”, arms outstretched, smiling, challenging life to Bring it on! But wait! That was before they hit the iceberg.

I think I am somewhere between decks most of the time. I have had times when I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. At other times, I’m on deck revelling in the majesty of a sunset reflected on the waves. I want to say I have many Rose-Titanic moments, but I’m still working on it. It looks so easy in the movies, doesn’t it?

And what is the path to enlightenment if not through trial and trial — and trial? How can we “test our mettle” as they used to say succinctly unless we have weathered a storm or two? Don’t we gain our sea legs eventually? I believe so.

The challenges are even more difficult to deal with when they affect others, like our children. Most parents would stow their children in the lifeboats and jump into the frigid ocean water in a heartbeat if it meant protecting them from harm. Life is not (thankfully) as black and white as that and hopefully, our iceberg moments are few. When our children are affected by our problems, we need to find a way to deal with them in such a way as to empower them. How do we do this? The way we model the handling of those trials for our children can be the biggest gift we give them.

Life is not always easy. The reality is that life remains difficult as long as we keep expecting it to be easy. When we know it’s not easy for long or forever; that life just is then we accept it without judgement. Then we can ride out the storms knowing they will not last forever, that the good times will return.

Are you enlightened? How do you handle your iceberg moments?

Photo Credit: Ian Van Houcke