When you lose, you really win.

It's no mystery that life has its ups & downs. We walk, we trip or slip, we fall, we get right back up & continue walking with caution in our step. But why must we fail to give attention to the process of *growing*? At the end of our journey, that's the part *of* the journey that's most important in getting us *through* said journey...so it's striking when noticing how often those little details had gotten overlooked or not even noticed.

I'm thinking it's because we're so distracted by answers to questions & what control we have over them, generally & specifically. It's just like how we obviously can't drive, talk on the cell, do make-up, read the paper, & shoot the bird to passers by without getting ourselves into a major wreck or a fender-bender.

Everything seems to be a part of some vicious cycle, these days. You can't talk about gas prices without commenting "Yeah, it's all a vicious cycle"; you can't talk about cultural community without resulting to some war, later saying "Yeah, that's just our government...just a vicious cycle". Everywhere you look, something is distracting us yet we continue putting our hands in the fire.

What do we gain from all of this? What do we get out of being burnt by some cycle we really want no part of, yet need in order to get by?

I'm not an intelligent man- I've only attyended minor amounts of structured study & schooling, but still have very little to accredit myself to. I'm 26 years old, will be 27 coming this September, & still have yet to even dance a full song. Without being certain that I'm even asking the right questions, I look back upon everything around me that's gone on in my life & sit in wonder that in all the times I'd felt at a loss, I was actually gaining the time, & emotional tools, to heal & grow.

Because of this type of reflection, & because of my extent on reflecting, I look at what's around me now & what has been, the past few years, & am surprised at how my environment itself has its own vicious cycle. I'm seeing how so many people are still being pulled down by their misguidedness or by the lack of true in- or foresight. I see how people are becoming more & more distracted as the days go by...so, I've decided to post this in their acknowledgement & helpful advisory.

Don't let yourself get distracted. Don't let yourself get detoured. If you find yourself at any kind of loss, look back to what you have & hold on to it for dear life. Make something of your future & don't worry about the mishaps of the present- they'll work themselves out, believe me. Just because you can't jump a 10-foot distance *does not* mean you can't jump at all.

You have to be in a bind to get out of a bind. You have to fall in a hole to pull yourself out. You have to go broke to feel rich...& a frown only reminds us of our smile. So don't worry about losing. When we lose, we really do win.




Mr. Hand