There once was a great doctor. He was extremely skilled in his field, and had won numerous awards for his outstanding work and research around the world. He had been studying new treatment options for people in more poor countries and places, and was enthusiastic about his new approach to treating and helping these more unfortunate people. He had a very important conference scheduled just a few days from then, but had to travel across the country to get there. Like usual he boarded his plane, and his long flight began. Hours into the flight, as the doctor approached his destination, the pilot alerted the crew and passengers about a terrible storm approaching and the plane would have to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport. The doctor was frustrated, his important conference so close, and with the delay there was a chance of him not making it.
As soon as the plane landed at the new airport, he ran to ask the desk clerk the time of departure planned, hoping the storm would be over quickly.
"I'm sorry sir, but with the conditions so bad right now, there is at least a 10 hour wait until another plane can take off."
Angry, the man explained his situation, and the clerk told him it was possible to drive to the conference, as it was only a four hour drive to the town it was being held in. Determined, the doctor continued his journey despite the awful weather.
After driving for multiple hours, the conditions only seemed to get worse. The rain fell faster, the wind blew harder, and the sky got darker. Soon enough, the doctor was no longer even in a town, and he found himself driving on a long stretch of road that went further and further into the middle of nowhere. He was sure to miss his conference now, but he realized he was now more concerned about finding a sign of civilization more than anything now. After more and more miles of empty stretches of land, the doctor saw the faint glimpse of a house ahead.
Driving up the long gravel driveway, he stopped at the house, and knocked at the door.
"Can I help you?" A middle aged woman asked, as she slowly opened the door.
"Hello, I am very lost. I am cold, wet, hungry, I was wondering if I can please use your telephone?" The doctor desperately replied.
"Well, I don't have a phone. I don't even have electricity here unfortunately. But I can surely help you with a warm meal and some drying off."
The doctor reluctantly replied, still frustrated at the fact that this all happened to him in the first place. The woman brought him some food and warm coffee, and went back to her room, where he heard her start to cry. Minutes went by at the doctor ate in silence, and the woman cried and cried. Eventually the doctor slowly opened her door, and asked her what was wrong.
"My son has been sick for several days now and I don't know what it is that is wrong with him. I have gotten almost everything I wanted out of life so far, but all I want is for my baby to get better." The woman cried, pointing to a crib across the room.
The crying woman explained how she had been hoping and praying to try and get in contact with a well-known doctor named Doctor Stevens, who treats and helps less fortunate people around the world. At that moment the doctor took of his glasses and began to cry right with the woman. Everything in the past day had begun to make sense to him now. Every setback that had frustrated him so much, was for a reason to bring him to this very place. The place he was needed most. He looked back up at the woman, who was confused by his sudden crying.
"Ma'am, I am Doctor Stevens. It would be my pleasure to help you and your son."
As we go through life, we question the point of many things. Whether it be a small hold up and inconvenience in your day, or a tragic event that has the power to shape us into completely new and different individuals. It is so important to realize however, that everything happens for a reason. It is probably one of the most cliché expressions, but it is so greatly over-looked. Each success, each failure, each win and each loss has its own purpose for being and happening. We all are on our own separate journeys, and that is exactly how we should view our lives. Not a life full of random ups and downs, but a life of intertwined experiences, all made to bring out exactly who we are meant to be. Exactly who we choose to be. Life is not a big monster, always working to get you and work against you. Something goes wrong in our lives and we chop it up to "bad luck" or we imagine life as this evil genius plotting our demise, but life is not that at all. Life is however we make it to be, and our mindset determines our quality of life.Pay more attention to the relationship of things, because it will certainly give you a greater feel for the picture as a whole.
There is a book out by Paulo Coelho called The Alchemist. It is the story of a young shepherd boy who has a vision of treasure in a vast desert, with pyramids in the distance. He then embarks on a journey to find this treasure, which soon turns into a journey of the boy not only finding himself, but the boy finding the true meaning of life. All of the people he meets along his journey are in his life for a purpose. All of the setbacks he experiences are soon found to have been for a greater reason, he didn't previously see coming. All of this ultimately leading him to find the "soul of the world", and the meaning of life itself.
I challenge all of you today who read this: see your life as a journey. You were born into this world, and from the moment you took your first breath of air you have been on your journey. Make it an incredible one, one that transforms ant setbacks into opportunities, and helps you find/create yourself along the way. Always remember, everything happens for a reason, and there is no one holding you back from you being the number one best you can be throughout your journey. Where your journey will take you is surely spectacular.
