Still Here

Student: Mr. Bacchus are you worried that the world is going to end in 12 yrs?

Me: Nope

Student: Why not…with climate change experts are saying the world is going to end in 12 years…we should all be worried.

Me: They said the same thing in 1999 with Y2K.  Then, there was the Rapture of 2011 which was followed by the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012.  All of those events were supposed to be the end for us but guess what…we are still here.

Student: I don’t know Mr.Bacchus this one sounds real

Me: And so will the next one and the one after that and the one after that.  Once you have experienced multiple end of the world scenarios you will be able to look back and say…I’m still here and have the same confidence that I have that we will get through the next one.

***

After spending the morning in homeroom on my soapbox, I took a second in between classes and applied what I said to not just end of the world scenarios but everyday scenarios.  In our lives, we will be faced with situations that will look and feel like our end times are near. I – like many – am guilty of not using the situations I successfully made it through in the past to help strengthen me as I face my present situation.

In the midst of your current troubles, it’s easy to forget about the obstacles you have overcome,  the rivers you have crossed, and the graves you have climbed out of in the past. In the moment, those past situations probably seemed and felt like they were going to be the end.  However, we made it through and can say I’m still here.  If we could only stop and remember those near misses from our past during our current struggles in the present, we could stand with the same confidence as I did when my student mentioned the current 12 year scare. 

I will be the first to say that this is by no means easy and it’s hard to remember your past victories when you’re in a current battle.  It took me awhile to remember the many things I have made it through in my life as I struggled with everything I was dealing with in 2018/2019.   But once I did, my confidence in my ability to make it through slowly began to rise. 

I am sure, matter fact I know, Life will give me more situations that look, feel, and seem insurmountable.  During those future battles, I will have to pause and remember that I made it through this last year. I will hopefully stand tall and say “if I’m still here after 2018/2019, I can get through this too.”