Most days in our lives, we go about our business. Everyone’s day is different, but most of the 7.046 billion people on Earth have established routines.
Every day, some of those 7.046 billion people are going to hit a rough patch. Maybe a client yells at them, a lover’s tiff upsets their rhythm, or the grocery store runs out of their favorite brand of chips. Small problems are a part of life.
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| Small problem for a small person: extra small. via |
Unfortunately, there are big problems too. In the English language, many refer to the arrival of a big problem as getting hit by a ton of bricks. The imagery provokes a gruesome scene, but the metaphorical ton of bricks is not so bombastic.
The metaphorical ton of bricks is the thing you least expect. It’s not the salt in a wound or the lemon juice that gets into the paper cut. No, the metaphorical ton of bricks most often sneaks up on you and takes you by surprise.
It’s the realization that life can never be the same.
Why does this happen? We all know that this is just an unfortunate part of the human experience, right? We are betrayed, we lose jobs, we get in car accidents, terrorists attack, and our friends die. I personally have dealt with each of the tragedies I listed, but knowing that these things can happen does not make any of them easier to deal with when the bricks hit. People will tell you they are happy that x, y, or z factors make it easier to stomach, but it doesn’t help at ground zero. In the long run, sure, those factors can ease the transition back into normal life, but no factor can lighten the ton of bricks when it falls on you. It’s still a ton.
I don’t know where God is in the midst of this massive pile of bricks, but I hope he is helping those nearest the epicenter of all the problems in the world today, be they big or small. I don’t understand why my friends and I have been hit with a ton of bricks, I don’t, but not understanding does not make the facts less true. Stating that it’s not fair does not make it more fair. The real tragedy behind the metaphorical ton of bricks is that it cannot be lessened or lightened. 7.046 billion people will eventually feel their own tons crush their wills, and there is nothing I can do or say to make it better when the impact happens.
Is this depressing? Yes. Is it despair? Perhaps. Am I wrong?
The only upside is after the impact. When it’s over, we choose how to react. Does the driver flee the accident or pull over and call 911? Does the recently unemployed stop getting dressed in the morning, or does she put on her business attire and print copies of her resume?
I’m not implying that succumbing to the depression is a bad thing. It is often necessary. I’m just trying to say that, while the ton of bricks may have ruined your life, at least now you have room to build a new one.
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Cross-posted to Expert Textperts
I think C.S. Lewis’s “A Grief Observed” has helped lots of people during their Ton of Bricks moments. YMMV, but it’s worth a try.
I’ll have to check it out; thanks for the recommendation.