Life is all about a matter of perspective.
How we perceive our realities, the quality of our lives, our luck (or lack there of). Many (most) people would look at my life and see only a string of unfortunate events; up to and most relevantly including, the death of my first born son.
I don’t recall ever ‘choosing’ to see life the way I do; leaving me to wonder how possible it actually is for a grown human to change their life perspective.
However, I have never once questioned (and I can trace this mindset back to childhood) why ‘bad things’ happened in my life. I’ve never lived looking through the lens of, “why me,” “why is this happening to me,” etc.
When I look back across my life and all its traumas, challenges, and curveballs, I would change nothing; I don’t question any of it; and I am grateful for it all.
Yes; including the death of my 14 year old son. Every ‘unfortunate’ event, every tragedy, the ultimate human devastion of child loss … I’d change nothing. Because I love the woman my story has made me.
SO. What’s Wuhan, China got to do with it?
We have the choice of how we react to any and every circumstance. Will we steer towards the sharp edges of anger and rage? Or will we allow ourselves to be child-like in awe/amusement/humor?
My son died by fire in the Arizona desert. The off-road trip he was on stretched to such remote locations that his death certificate (and I love this) has only coordinates listed under ‘place of death.’ No city or town; but precise coordinates where his body burned in his most favorite and sacred desert.
The funeral home … coroner? … county? … state? (these type of details escape me and get lost in the Fog of shock) sent me a copy of Sawyer’s death certificate to proof, before being officially recorded.
Naturally, I entered the stated coordinates into GPS to verify their accuracy.
Now, Sawyer died in the spring of 2021; on the heels of/still in the midst of covid. We were homeschooling, and still upside down and inside out in that pandemic bubble.
The coordinates documented on Sawyer’s death certificate, as it would have been recorded, were precisely for WUHAN, CHINA! I kid you not. I couldn’t believe it.
A minor numerical human data entering error occurs and suddenly your kid was killed in Wuhan during covid!
And this is the part where the choice comes in. I’ve told this story to several; I have received as many reactions as times it’s been told.
Some are appalled; some furious; some amused.
I can’t say my reaction was a “choice” persay, as I instinctively laughed (hard) out loud to the point of tears. I enjoyed every entertaining moment of (politely, and with grace) calling out the clerk and their office on the mistake; and I love retelling this story every damn time.
There is laughter in Life’s lemons, y’all. We just have to decide how full, and how sweet, we perceive the glass of lemonade to be.
Be Well.
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