Life has its ups and downs. Everyone has heard it, and I’m sure you have experienced it first-hand, too. One day everything is going great for you. You’re happier than ever, and you think that things couldn’t get much better than they are at that moment.
Then, it all goes downhill.
You fall into a slump a week later and you can’t believe that everything went from completely amazing to completely terrible so quickly. How is that fair? Why can’t you just catch a break and enjoy everything going smoothly for more than a couple days? Well, I have the answer for you, my friends.
You know that song “Let Her Go” by Passenger? (If not, listen to it. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.) There’s one part of that song that really puts a perspective on life:
But you only need the light when it’s burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her goOnly know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low
Only hate the road when you’re missin’ home
Only know you love her when you let her go
It really makes you think. If everything is always great and you’re always happy 100% of the time, then how are you supposed to cherish it? Happiness would just seem kind of “expected,” and you won’t appreciate it.
Those sad/angry/unpleasant slumps that we get once in a while aren’t setbacks. They’re reminders. Reminders that sometimes things don’t go the way we want, and sometimes you are going to be unhappy. However, that doesn’t mean that you’ll be unhappy forever. I think that unhappiness only makes us appreciate happiness even more.
Imagine a life in which you get everything you want all of the time. Sounds pretty boring, right? Eventually you would get sick of the amazing things that you have, and you’re going to only want even more amazing things to make you feel something. After a while, you’d probably grow unhappy, and not even the most incredible event could pull you out of the unhappiness.
That’s why you need those slumps.
BUT you also have to remember that those slumps are temporary as well. Basically, everything in life is temporary. Happiness and sadness alike. The most important part to remember is to cherish the happiness and shake off the sadness. If you keep that in mind, you’re golden.
