The past ten days have been eye-opening for me. During this time, I’ve shared meals with folks I care about, gone on a relaxing vacation, gone zip lining for the first time, watched fireworks, meditated, sat in the sun, held my two wonderful children, cried, laughed, and attempted to envision my future. I’ve accepted where I am in the present, but I haven’t been able to soothsay what is to come. It’s never been my strong suit, since I tend to be wrong about most of my precognitions.

Earlier this year I wrote, “Instead of a resolution this year, I opted for a promise to practice more acceptance. As opposed to trying to have control over everything, acceptance is a sure-fire way to relieve some stress and be grateful for all I have.”

Acceptance isn’t always about standing still and watching the world happen all around you. While acceptance can be defined as the willingness to tolerate a difficult or unpleasant situation, it can also be described as agreement with or belief in an idea, opinion, or explanation. And that idea, opinion, or explanation could be strong enough to provide you the courage to react.

A Practical Example

When Toys R Us started out in 1948, they had no way of knowing what the future for retail would hold. And while they may have tried differing strategies, we all have been made aware of their ultimate defeat. In the years leading up to their demise, while still a privately held company, they took on a rapid increase in debt, along with other bad high-level decisions. Maybe if they’d accepted their present and shored up their foundation instead of borrowing against their future, they may have avoided setting themselves up to fail.

Halfway There

July 1^st was this year’s halfway mark, which means the last ten days were the first ten days of the second half of the year. Since I won’t be able to predict the future, I think I’ve decided to build a strong foundation in the present. At least this way I’ll be able to accept and appreciate whatever comes my way.

When you’re standing at the base of a rainbow, it’s impossible to comprehend its beauty.