Dr. John Campiche, may he rest in peace, once told me to imagine the very best and absolute worst possible outcomes for a medical procedure I had to have.
“You got those two scenarios firmly in mind?” he asked just before the anesthesiologist put me under sedation.
“Yes I do.”
“Good,” he replied, with his characteristic dry wit, “cause I’m pretty darn sure the results won’t turn out to be either one of those.”
I loved that man. And I’ve kept his words near and dear to my heart for over 25 years. They never fail me! Never once has anything in my life ever been as bad as I thought it was going to be, and conversely, my pie-in-the-sky optimism also falls a bit short, allowing me still something to strive toward.
Strangely enough, I also often find the things I initially think are devastating to turn out later to be a true blessing in disguise.
When I tore my Achille’s tendon, it’s true I was laid up for almost three months, but those three months gave me time to pursue my writing. When my offer was not accepted on a house I wanted to buy, a much better house came my way just a month later.
The same thing happened with a job I wanted, a car I thought I had to have, and a man I was sure I couldn’t live without.
The universe always knows what’s best for us, but often we don’t see its wisdom right away. Be patient. Don’t despair. Wait it out. It’s not going to be as bad as you think. Dr. Campiche told me so!