Sooner or later adversity comes to us. And when it comes we must choose whether we want it to be an awesome teacher or a cruel master.
One day adversity came at me like the Texas wind and turned my world upside down.
It was my first day of school. Feeling both excited and scared I couldn’t keep from frolicking. However, the end of the day found me beaten down though. Things changed drastically when the teacher discovered I didn’t possess an important communication skill–I didn’t speak English. She labeled me, “unteachable.” Then she gave me a seat, not among the other students but, behind the piano. A dark coldness crept into my soul. Big fat tears splattered on my lap as they rolled off my cheeks. I couldn’t understand the punishment.
From then on I struggled through the days. The kids tormented me with ridicule and the teacher seldom spoke to me. In my lonely spot behind the piano, I learned about a beautiful family. The kids, Jane, Dick, Sally and their pets, Puff, and Spot intrigued me. I also learned words like run, see, jump and I fell in love with them. “Words” reminded me of a train. I could link them together to form sentences. I listened to my classmates and emulated them. From my high perch behind the piano, I also learned how putting numbers together exploded and made more numbers.
Finally one day, after Christmas break, I earned the right to seat among my peers. Happy me.
I don’t tell you this story to elicit sympathy but to show you that you too can bloom where you’re planted. I bloomed. From behind the piano, I learned that knowledge is power and that I possessed an incredible spirit of fortitude. Never again would anyone sit me behind the piano. The ignorance of that teacher became my saving grace. It kept me from being a high school drop out, it kept me from taking a destructive path, and it forced a goal on me–to acquire a wealth of education. It was my tool of sweet revenge against the teacher that so callously punished me. The unteachable kid earned a bachelor’s degree.
It would be years before I discovered I had the gift of “serendipity.” It is the ability to unearth good fortune from adversity. As my life moved on, adversity continued to be an unwanted companion but I had a knack for bouncing back from life-disrupting events. Adversity created opportunities for new directions in my life and that was exciting to me. I realized Adversity is a blessing turned inside out(TM). I chose to let adversity be an awesome teacher and it has served me well.
Bloom where you’re planted. If you haven’t done it yet, take time and I mean committed time to search out your serendipity. It’s the substance that will help you bloom.
Suzi can help you alleviate stage fright stress. Contact her at SuziSandoval9@gmail.com or call (806) 672-1132.
