You know those well-meaning pontifications that ring hollower than the hole in a bundt cake? I am not a fan.
God doesn’t give us more than we can handle…
I don’t think there’s some guy in the sky meting out just enough bad stuff—but not too much bad stuff—based on the knowledge of what he (she or it) deems me capable of “handling.” I think people get broken all the time. We have fissures in our souls and often handle things not so very well. What does “handle” even mean? That we choose not to check out on purpose?
Everything happens for a reason…
I recently saw the greatest billboard ever, which read: “Everything happens for a reason and sometimes the reason is that you’re an idiot.” BOOM! Sometimes the universe is the universe and the more I try to find reason in senseless horrible things that happen to friends and strangers, the less reason I can find in the senseless horrible things that happen to friends and strangers. The most I can accept is that I can probably learn a lesson even from the worst of things.
Time heals all wounds…
All wounds? I have only had the wounds that I have had. I don’t know about yours and even if you tell me about them at length, I cannot feel your pain. I can have compassion and sympathy and if I have enough, I will hold your hand. I think the worst wounds crust over and ache indefinitely.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…
Oh Kelly, Kelly, Kelly I love you, but sometimes what doesn’t kill me makes me a f*cked up mess. Sure, it’s not as much what happens to me as how I react to it, but more than occasionally when bad things happen, I react pretty poorly. Maybe what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger, but I hope it makes me brave enough to tear down some walls and become a bit more vulnerable and a lot less invested in being strong.
God bless America…
If God or some other force more forceful than me created whatever and whoever is here, I have a hard time believing that he (she or it) has a greater affinity for me than someone in some other country. If I’m going to make such a leap that God is a stars and stripes guy (gal or entity), then I’m also going to go out on a limb and say that funny people who appreciate irony are God’s favorites. In this scenario, God likes me best :)
I hope I'm not the only one who hates certain clichés…One is the loneliest number after all.