This cartoon of Garfield makes us stop and think about how easy life might be if by some miraculous way we could just step out of life and sleep peacefully through it until it just goes away. Though many of us have at some time wished for the peace and quiet from all our activities and troubles, all we would be doing is avoiding what it was we came here to do in the first place. If we went to our job and went over in the corner and laid down and slept, what would the boss say? If we never got out of bed on weekends to mow the grass or water the garden or take out the garbage or clean the house, what would our partner say? We tried it when we were kids and our parents had plenty to say :) . I think you get the idea.

It is true, each and every one of us have difficulties in life. That is life. That's what life is for. No one escapes them. It is not a good idea to spend all your time in meditation or solitude or quietness or seeking peace. It is unrealistic. We are to relish the fact that little respites come from time to time that give us pause from one problem to the next. We are to take these moments to appreciate the growth that comes from the difficulties we have lived through and conquered. We take these times to realize that we HAVE grown. Is there a time you can look back and say, the trouble won? Sure it seemed like it was insurmountable at the time, but you are still the one standing. You are still one going. You are still the one who has been victorious. It's quite like a prize fighter who, comes out of the fight looking like he just got run over by the bulldozer. His eyes are blackened, his face is bloody, his knees are weak, but he was the winner. He fought through all the opponent could give, he withstood the onslaught and came out the victor. Does he quit? No, he has another opponent waiting in the wings, one even better than the one he just beat, but he has confidence from his victory to go and face another and KNOW he has the courage and the strength to win again, and again, until... he is champion and he retires. That is what life is like. Even at the times when one fighter gets knocked out, he wakes up and says, I made a mistake, I know what I need to do to win the next time, get me another match, I'm gonna win the next time. So, even as life throws us curves and catches us off guard, and sometimes knocks us down, we rise with new resolve and courage and determination and fight the good fight, for it is in the efforts to win, we become winners.

We come to this world for the purpose of facing these life struggles. We come here to learn lessons and the lessons are not unbeatable. If we live life and face the challenges of life as was intended for us, then we are winners. All of us have had multiple lives on this earth. Some more than others and for many of us there are more to live. But we do it with hope in our souls and convictions in our hearts that we will overcome this life and learn its lessons and our spirits will grow because of the efforts. The reason for this method is that sometime, having won all our lessons and learned that love and giving are better than hate and getting, then we won't have to come to the physical again, we can retire as victors over the lessons of life. The lesson then is, get on with life, don't lay down, don't expect it easy, but relish the opportunities to learn and grow and have the confidence and the knowledge that you will win!!!