Hard Knocks Are Simply Lessons Etched In Stone

Experiences To Live By

Today has been an extraordinarily tough day for me emotionally. It’s kind of like I’ve written before where I try to not to let my self go soaring off into the stratosphere when good things happen, or into the depths of h*ll when bad things happen.

I just try to stay chill and go about my business of writing.

But, yeah, there’s a but.

But when I get reflective on my life as I did a little bit this morning writing a piece about time travel. I caught myself focusing on all those speedbumps on my road, which caused the most disruption in my life.

I remember a time where I used to proclaim with pride that I graduated from the school of hard knocks. I’m a self-taught, self-made southern gentleman who has suffered long at the hands of bad luck and dismissive Karma.

And though I hate to admit this to all of you but will for transparencies’ sake, I experienced about a thirty-second pity party this afternoon right after lunch.

The thoughts were something to the effect that I used to have my finger on the pulse on writing here on this platform. I bemoaned the fact that my pieces used to be distributed in multiple topics all the time, and now, well now, it seems there’s not a fat chance in h*ll that is going happen.

And I remember asking myself why. Why was all this happening to me? Why was it just like everything in my life, a rocky road of hard knocks that continued to pummel me until I dropped to my knees for an eight-second count?

Then I remembered what I always used to tell my kids when their entire worlds crumbled in front of their very eyes.

“It’s like the ten commandments sweetheart. Hard knocks are simply life lessons etched in stone.”

Yeah, these hard knocks in life are the ones you never want to forget. The hard knocks that rattle you so much you’re not even sure you can hold it together long enough to get through them.

These are the life lessons you tell yourself you never, ever want to forget.

Just like those ten commandments which some of the more heathenistic among us think are merely suggestions, these fundamental cores of living often become etched in stone for us.

I really don’t see myself as all that much different than the rest of the Humans that roam the planet. I have my ups and downs just like everyone else. Just like all of you, I’ve experienced tons of life lessons I don’t ever want to forget, experiences to live by.

I believe that most of these hard knocks a person receives on this road of life can shape us into pretty caring individuals, thoughtful, benevolent human beings who want nothing but the best for others.

Despite that, some of these hard knocks are pretty tough to endure, especially when they continue to happen again and again. It’s the old saying. Same song, different verse, could be better, but it’s gonna get worse.

And frequently it does get worse, and we don’t know why.

But just as quickly, we learn to survive these hard knocks, these life lessons etched in stone because we are sure as h*ll aren’t warming up to the alternative of being knocked down and staying down.

But sometimes it’s so d*mned hard to get back up.

It’s hard to get back up knowing you’re about to take another beating, another grueling session of life where you’ll get more hard knocks etched in stone, more life lessons tossed your way.

It’s hard to continuously hammer away at the keyboard in hopes that someday soon, you’ll be able to right your ship and make better headway. But you tell yourself you need to keep trying. You need to keep breathing, keep living, keep those fingers on the keyboard. And so you do.

And each day, you receive another round of hard knocks.

Don’t get me wrong folks, there are some really precious moments between the gaps of hard knocks in my life. Moments where I laugh from comments made by a lot of my writing friends here. Moments where I tear up after reading some of the most poignant poetry, or outpouring of unbridled emotions and passion.

It’s a wonderful life (said Jimmie Stewart, I think), and I’m trying to enjoy it to the fullest.

It’s just, well sometimes, after a session of getting my butt handed to me and watching another set of hard knocks get chiseled onto my life’s tablet, I get a little winded.

And I have to take a breath and either cry internally or weep unabashedly all over my keyboard (don’t worry — it’s used to it) in the solace of my office. Here only the walls and my computer screen can see me.

We all have our schools of hard knocks we’re attending. Some of us may be taking different classes at the moment, but come graduation, we’ll all be able to walk across the stage slip and fall awkwardly off the stage and break an arm and a leg.

Yeah, some of us get a few more hard knocks than we probably deserve. They probably need to get a bigger tablet to chisel on.

Peace Out Brother And Sister Writers

P.G.

Thanks So Much For Reading

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