The day I almost lost all my fingers

When I was 12, I almost lost all my fingers. I can remember it like it was yesterday because that pain was like nothing I ever felt to this day. It was during a Christmas winter, and I was visiting family in Canada, and it was the first time I saw snow.

 

I clearly remember my aunt telling me to wear good ear muffs because the cold could freeze them and they could even fall off. Unfortunately, I did not protect my hands like I did for my ears. I wore only simple gloves where everyone else was wearing mittens as well. I spent an afternoon playing in the snow, throwing snowballs, sliding down hills, and so on. I was having the time of my life. Needless to say, that at the end of the day, when I got in the warmth of the car, I almost passed out because my fingers which at that point had become ice sticks were waking up from their freezing slumber. If you have ever held an ice cube for a couple of minutes, imagine that pain for over an hour. I learned my lesson and the next day I wore at least 3 mittens.

 

But here's what that day really taught me, beyond the mittens: you can't stop life from coming at you. Life comes through people, through seasons, through moments you never see coming. You can't prevent the cold, the pain, the change. And maybe that's the whole point trying to brace yourself against everything is just exhausting and useless.

 

Some lessons are learned by repetition, some are learned through other people's lives, and some are learned the hard way. The beauty in life is not knowing what tomorrow will bring. It can be stressful sometimes but imagine that you already knew how every day will unfold. Or even worse, that every day will be exactly like the day before. It would be a fantastic opportunity to play the lottery, but at some point, you would be fed up having to go through the same things every day. That's why every person is different, and why the people we meet take us in different directions.

 

Your life is like a train. Some people will be with you for most of the journey. Some will only stay for a few stops. Some won't even bother getting on. And you know what? That's not a failure. That's just life doing what it does. You just have to remember what worked and what did not, so you know what to do and what to avoid.

 

If you can relate to anything I've shared with you today, feel free to reach out. I'd love to hear from you. 

 

Take care,

Matt