The Blessed Hellride

Uh...The Blessed Hellride? What's that about? (Glad you asked...) The title is blatantly stolen from a BLS album, fronted by Zakk Wylde, guitarist for Ozzy. And here's why...

A few years ago I realized some things about my life.

1. It's not about me. No matter how prestigious my 'job' is or how much money I make, it's all polishing brass on the Titanic. It will all be gone in a few short years. In fact, on a long enough timeline, it will happen to all of us. For me, I decided to travel light.

2. The circumstances which led me to this realization were painful and costly. All the things I said I'd never become? They showed up in the mirror one morning while I was climbing my way up. When my [then] 2 year old pointed to a picture of a hotel and said "Daddy's house" I knew it was time to bail. While I was accumulating shiny things, my little boy had a void that only I could fill.

3. Other circumstances followed. My realization was that, without the blessing of the misery I was in, I wouldn't have made the change in my life. Thank God for the misery.

Changing your life is never easy, whether it's a job or a exercise routine. But the 'hellride' produces things in you that you never knew were there. While it's miserable at the time, the end result can be sweet fruit. It's a Blessed Hellride.

So, thank God (and Zakk) for the Blessed Hellride.

Any similar experiences?