"You can't fireproof your house after it's burned down. It's physically and metaphorically impossible. But, you can rebuild and install safeguards."
A lot has happened since we last met, friend. Timed ticked into 2024, my crew and I launched the 118 Foundation, and I got ENGAGED!!! I have felt a million feelings all in a very short time, and I'm just stinking happy.
Have you ever been there? Riding an emotional high while trying to keep the lows at bay? I'm not convinced it's possible to be just happy or just sad—to let the good times roll without bad times sneaking up on you.
Downer topic, I know, and a weird direction ahead of Fat Tuesday. But I'm not a party pooper, I promise. Stick with me.
Here's the good news: There is a whole lot of good in this life.
Here's the bad news: There is also a whole lot of bad.
The other news: Both are consistent.
If you're new here, I had cancer (boo!), and once that jerk exited stage right, I thought life would be easy peasy lemon squeezy. I thought, since I wiped my brow and earned my survivor badge, I could handle absolutely anything. Nothing could touch me. Nothing could phase me. Nothing could hurt me. I was ready to be a, "warrior" for the rest of my life. Stoic. Unwavering.
Want to know the reality? More bad things happened after my bad thing. And NOTHING was easy. I felt like I had to re-learn life and how to be a normal, everyday human. And the bad things weren't even that big. I would break a nail and cry my eyes out.
I don't mean to discredit myself here—I do handle tough situations differently and better now—but I'm not immune to a bad day or tragedy or anxiety or a flat tire. Maybe it was the chemo brain or the happiness high, but I never thought I would feel the feelings I had when I found out I had cancer ever again. Yet, I already have.
So, I felt like I had two choices. Continue feeling bummed that I didn't turn out to be the stone-cold superwoman all the cancer advertisements told me I was or recalibrate. I chose the latter.
You can't fireproof your house after it's burned down. It's physically and metaphorically impossible. But, you can rebuild and install safeguards. You can figure out what went wrong and prepare for the future. You can build a sturdier house with fire alarms and sophisticated electrical systems and protect your home with better insurance. And if something goes wrong—whether you forget to blow out a candle or a pyro-maniac decides your yard is their next playground—you're prepared.
Are you catching my drift?
We can't always avoid our lives going up in flames, but we can prepare for the heat.
Jesus shared a great parable outlining this idea during his famous Sermon on the Mount:
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:24-27)
While Jesus' teaching targeted faith, I believe this concept can be recycled into all areas of our lives: marriage, our careers, friendship, health... Think of the importance of building those areas on strong foundations.
So, how do we do it? How do we fireproof our lives and prepare for the inevitable hardships we will face? I think you should ask your momma or your pastor or your therapist this one. And I'm not any of those. But, if you do ask me, I think the best way is Jesus's way: Take a look at your foundation.
I'm filling in some of the holes in my foundation that cancer cracked, but I am proud of the way I have built my life. And friend, you should be proud, too. You're alive. You reading this blog, so I know you at least passed the third grade. You're doing the dang thing. That's a start. Keep building. Keep looking for cracks. Keep fireproofing.
But, that's my opinion. Go ask your momma.