Change: I find myself writing about change a great deal. Too
many people are resistant to change, electing to grow old, shiver, and die
before taking a risk. Some are too
narrow to feel regret, but for those timid souls who would have loved change
but never moved on their gut feeling, regret can be a heavy chain weighing them
down. Too often these people
deteriorate into grotesque caricatures of themselves, becoming stilted as well
as stifled. Since Katrina and the
death of my mother, my life has undergone radical change. Losing my mother was
the most horrific loss I’ve ever experienced, but she always wanted me to move
on and be strong. I did so,
immersing myself in writing, sending out my books, and risking rejection. Well, I could decorate a Christmas tree
with the rejection slips I received, but the risk and temporary defeat led to
success. I’m now a published author.
I never would have experienced such happiness without my desire to
change my life and my willingness to take the risk. Too many people told me not
to take risk. They thought I was
too weak to handle any defeat or controversy—not that it was any of their
business, but we all know what is said about opinions. . .
Then, I met Ben, and when most women are on the road to
becoming “Red Hat Ladies,” I’m embarking on a new chapter of my life with
him. No quiet lunches wearing my
red hat. We listen to music in the Maple Leaf and Carrollton Station, making
out like teens. When we’re ninety,
someone will still be wheeling us in to hear Tommy and Dave Malone, Raw Oyster
Cult, The Last New Beginning, and Papa Gros Funk. No change can occur without a
willingness to take the leap into the Unknown, but for me, taking a risk on a
guy I met at a Danny O’Flaherty Concert in the Deutsches Haus has led to some
of the best times of my life. Now, I’m wearing his ring, but none of this would
have happened had I not been willing to take a risk and look to the future with
hope.
What makes some people lose hope while they stare into the
future with bright smiles and others lose even their desire to live? Who knows?
In the newspaper recently, I saw an article about a young woman who gave birth
to her first child even after suffering a devastating stroke some years
earlier. Even though she almost
died, Sarah Abrusley decided to look to the future. She and her husband bought a house and had a baby. Sarah knows she will have to adapt to
certain situations not typical of her situation; however, this woman has moved
on with her gaze set firmly on the future, thumbing her nose at the skeptics
along the way.
Why do some people lose hope? Recently, the news reported
the tragic death of designer L’Wren Scott. Unlike Sarah, L’Wren Scott lost
hope. Rumor has it her business was in severe trouble, and the talented woman
committed suicide in her apartment.
Rather than face the possibility of defeat and humiliation, Scott
wrapped a scarf around her neck and took her life. Her ending is tragic, and I understand
her desperation. Until I concentrated
on my writing and moved on with my personal life, I was in danger of stagnating
within my sameness. The people
speculating on her death and dancing on her grave should be ashamed. The loss of hope can envelope us all,
but like Sarah Abrusley, I choose to hope.
Check out Viola Russell at www.violarussell.com.
