Acceptance doesn't mean things won't hurt

Recognize life. Accept it as it is. Move on. This is my mantra. My goal. My North Star.  And I fall short more often than not.

Michael J Fox was in an interview with Willie Geist last Sunday talking about his life with Parkinson’s. Talking about the absolute struggle it is to take a step; each step requires utter concentration. Each step is a victory. Near the end of the interview he discussed what it’s like when people ask how he is. 

“The short answer is great. Accept it and move on. The real answer? Do you have an hour? Sit down and I’ll tell you.”

We accept life on life’s terms. But we still struggle. We still have hard days. And we also have great ones. We can accept life while also being realistic about what we are going through. In order to truly accept pain we need to feel it. And that sucks. But the good news is that we also get to feel and accept the joy that comes along with it. And that makes everything worthwhile.