One of Those Days

I loved reading 'choose your own adventure' books when I was younger. These were great because no matter how badly I did, I could always put the book down and start over. And... for the record... I was terrible. It seems I spent more time in abandoned mine shafts and warding off bear attacks than I ever did rescuing the princess or saving the earth from the alien invasion. But, at the end of the day, I had the luxury of closing the book and going outside to recreate my literary misadventures. Remember, this was pre-Call of Duty and let's face it... Frogger was never really that interesting so I often ended up playing outdoors.

Sometimes I wish I could live in those books. Make a mistake? No problem, just turn to a different page and start all over. Don't like how one scenario ends? Cool. Just go back and have as many do-overs as needed. The prisoner is freed, the game is won, the mystery is solved, and everyone lives happily ever after. How amazing would it be if life truly imitated art and we were afforded the opportunity to correct our mistakes and spare ourselves (and our loved ones) the pain of such terrible circumstances. But, unless you have a Delorean and 21.1 jigowatts of electricity, then you are forced to live in the wake of whatever life you've created.

My point is simple. We all make mistakes and partake in things we regret from time to time. Many of us are fortunate enough to recover and, while there will always be some residual effect, we can move on and still make a very nice life for ourselves. The poor choices we made can eventually fade into the recesses of our memories and serve as little more than a reminder that we need to be smarter with how we live. Some people will actually learn from their mistake and then try to help others avoid that same pratfall.

However, some people lack either the ability or inclination to allow themselves to forget and move on. Every sunrise is another reminder of how badly they screwed up and all situations lead to unrest and a lack of peace. There is no support network that provides an outlet for reconciliation or redemption and each day feels worse than the last. I see this every day in the lives of some of our residents, but this condition is not limited to the homeless. We need to know that life can have purpose in spite of what we've done. I wish it were an easy problem to fix but I am not a psychologist nor a counselor. All I can do is offer you the chance to read some words on a page and hopefully seek avenues that lead toward whatever brings you peace and forgiveness.

Maybe one day we can all save the princess?