[2022-06-02] Opportunity
Today, I came across a book I didn't realize I owned: What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey. It's a summary of revelations, drawn from her monthly column of the same name in O magazine.
I don't remember when I dropped the book into my nightstand drawer, presumably to be close enough to grab for a quick read before dropping off to sleep. But it's been there long enough for me to have forgotten who gave it to me. There it sat, for years, unread and unremembered.
I started perusing the book this afternoon, as I sat outside with Freddie for his "outside time" (he loves sitting on the front lawn, watching the world go by). Many passages in the book spoke to me, but this one seemed especially pertinent:
One of my greatest lessons has been to fully understand that what looks like a dark patch in the quest for success is the universe pointing you in a new direction. Anything can be a miracle, a blessing, an opportunity if you choose to see it that way. Had I not been demoted from my six o'clock anchor post in Baltimore back in 1977, the talk show gig would never have happened when it did.
When you see obstacles for what they are, you never lose faith in the path it takes to get you where you want to go. Because this I know for sure: Who you're meant to be evolves from where you are right now. So learning to appreciate your lessons, mistakes, and setbacks as stepping stones to the future is a clear sign you're moving in the right direction.
Perhaps it's only with time that we can see a dark patch as a miracle, a blessing, an opportunity. I do believe that just about anything can be an opportunity if we choose to see it that way. My cancer was an opportunity to reassess my priorities and refocus my life on what's truly important. I don't yet see cancer as a miracle or blessing, but it has definitely been an opportunity to learn—about my strength, about my ability to do hard things, and about the love that surrounds me.
Others may be experiencing challenges at work or in their relationships. They may find themselves at a crossroads, with a precarious future. In moments like these, it may be helpful to remember that the future doesn't just happen to us; we have a hand in shaping it. We can create the plan or take the steps to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of our being the person we want to be: gainfully employed in a job that suits us, happily coupled or happily single. It's up to us to take note of the lessons, learn from our mistakes and get back up when we encounter setbacks. It's up to us to ask, whenever we're in the midst of a challenging situation, "what is this here to teach me?"
What I know for sure is that, if I hadn't gotten cancer, Jenesis would not exist, my life would not have evolved in the direction that it did, and I would not have made the difference I am making in the lives of others.
Perhaps I found the book today because today is the day I needed to read it—as a reminder to myself and others with whom I have conversed in the past few days that there is opportunity in every dark patch. We just need to look for it and ask, "where do I go from here?"
