We Do Our Best

I just finished watching The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It's an interesting story and, in my view, a good one. For me the takeaway was something Judi Dench said, "We get up in the morning. We do our best. Nothing else matters." Truer words were never spoken!

We've come to expect things like satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment as part of our rights as human beings. The reality is that while those things are nice, nothing is guaranteed. We may do our best and still have to deal with unpleasantness. Even if we know on one level that life is not fair, that concept can be hard to assimilate. So, when life is not fair to us, we balk.

The beauty of the quote is that we still have something precious even when things don't turn out our way. We have our inner strength, our integrity, and our character. The satisfaction that comes from holding ourselves to high standards is immense. Being able to look in the mirror knowing that we have done our best no matter the outcome is a gift only we can give ourselves. With it comes a freedom that cannot be had any other way, no matter where we go or how far we travel.

If you're dealing with chronic pain, whether emotional or physical, you may do everything in your power to eradicate it and not succeed. If that happens and you continue to do your best every day, you will become quite an amazing person.