Up hill both ways
When I was a kid and I wanted something I would ask my parents. They would tell me that I had to work for it. I would whine about it because the neighbor kids just got stuff given to them.
The neighbors had money. We didn't. We were a fairly poor farm family. We all worked hard from my dad and mom, to me, my little brother and my little sister. We all had our jobs to do.
My parents were the type that would say, "If you want a car, earn the money. When I was a kid we had to walk to school 10 miles and it was uphill both ways!" They usually told me they had to do it barefoot, too!
Well, it was probably an exaggeration, but it is something I have thought of a lot recently. There is a lot going on:
- COVID-19
- Storms/Tornadoes
- Layoffs from work
A lot of things. I am not especially complaining, I just feel like these things are a lot to handle. Sometimes, it feels like walking up hill both ways while barefoot in a snow storm!
But these don't have to be totally negative things, do they?
To put things in perspective, my granddaughter who is 7 years old, said the other day, "I am sad about COVID-19 and I am happy about COVID-19."
I asked her what she meant.
"I am said about COVID-19 because I miss school and my friends. But I am happy about COVID-19 because I get to stay home with you!"
Well, of course, I grinned from ear to ear!
Then I thought, how does that relate to my idea about things being uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow?
That there are two places we find relief in that walk. Two ways we can view our walk, too.
First, if there is an uphill, then there is also a downhill. The downhill is your chance to take your time, collect your thoughts and give yourself a time to refresh before you start uphill again.
The second place is at the top of the hill. Usually, you can take a little breather there before you start the next leg of your trek.
These rest stops or downhills are good times for reflection. You can review what you learned during the difficult uphill parts. You can not think at all, if you so desire.
Being realistic about our journey here on Wealthy Affiliate and in the creation of our websites can happen at any point: uphill, downhill or resting place at the top. There will be moments when it all feels uphill. There will be moments when it feels like everything is going downhill. And there will be those times when we are at the top of the hill.
Enjoy all parts of the journey because each part of it teaches valuable lessons.
With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎
Recent Comments
28
In your parent's story about walking to school 10 miles uphill both ways, I feel like they left out the part about there being six feet of snow too, Karin
I had the same perspective too when I was young, but then realized that those other kids were spoiled and didn't 'earn' anything - it was handed to them. And I started to learn the importance of working and going after something if I wanted it.
I was realistic when I joined WA because I honestly didn't know anything about affiliate marketing and came in willing to put in the work and effort. I've had more uphills than downhills, but now I'll take the to reflect more and learn from them.
Thanks!
Isaiah 😊
Thanks for sharing, Isaiah! I think you and I are kindred souls. We realize the value of hard work and earning what we get!
I didn't know much about affiliate marketing when I joined either. But now I learn a lot from those uphill drives.
With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎
Thank you for the encouragement Karin.
I like you, was always taught to earn what you want in life, so I have never expected anything to be given to me.
I also believe that we learn a lot from the uphills that we face, and get stronger because of them.
We are going through some tough times in the world today, but we will be better able to deal with what we come up against in the future because of it.
Take care and stay safe.
Gaz
Thanks for commenting, Gaz. I think learning how to earn and appreciating that was very important in childhood. If we don't learn it then, it is extremely hard to learn as an adult because you have to "unlearn" so many things.
I appreciate those uphills. . . .
With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎
Really great and helpful post!!
This is so true, we will always have two sides of a coin to manage a situation. As you explain so well, we must always see in perspective and not stop at a negative situation because we will always find a way to move forward and get out of the worries in which we are.
Even when we are not directly responsible for an embarrassing situation like this virus, the situation can be scary so we must find positive ways out to make this tragedy much more bearable. There are always two exit doors and it is up to us to find which one suits us to move forward more serenely.
Ingrid
Great point, Ingrid. There are two ways to look at things.
Your analogy reminds me of an Escape Room. You have to figure things out to get out.
The whole virus things has put me in such a state that I have not wanted to leave my house. I force myself to do so. I will be happy when this is over.
In the meantime, though, I continue the trek uphill, the rests at the top and the evaluating of the lessons learned on the way down.
With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎
It's mainly been uphill for me what with the learning curve. The downhill begins when I start to write, thats the easy part. Then I start uphill again as I go through and start editing.
Greg
Hi Greg,
I think the uphill part goes for many of us here. The writing part is uphill for many, as well. But with all of the learning that is taking place, even if we never make a cent, we have totally gotten value from Wealthy Affiliate!
With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎
I absolutely agree Karin. Just the other day I was talking to someone about WA after she brought up a direction she was taking. Gave her something new to think about.
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Well hey kids, I really did walk to high school. But it was only 2 miles and 6 inches of snow. So I grew up soft, you know?
I had an Uncle Roy who used to say, "The older a man gets, the straighter he could shoot when he was a kid."
I hear you! I used to walk to school on days I didn't want to take the bus. It was about 2 miles. I only did it once during a snow storm and frostbit my ear... I can laugh about it now, but man did it hurt when it happened. I was fortunate and my ear still remains in tact, but it is not flexible anymore.
My dad likes to tell a good story about growing up in the 1940s and1950s. It is fun to listen to those tales!
With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎
Uncle Roy was the best! He had watermelons that grew so fast the vines dragged all the little watermelons to death.
LOL