"Hey, Hey, the blues is alright."

Sadness is a natural initial response to loss.
Whether it is the end of a relationship, the loss of a job,
the loss of a limb, the loss of a game, or tragicly the loss of someone else's life.

There is a natural cycle we experience which often starts with grief and disappointment.
Eventually, however, one should accept the reality and move forward towards
restoring joy to one's life. Indeed, sometimes loss can even yield a net gain.
This is especially true, if you use the stumbling blocks that life throws at you,
as stepping stones to build a foundation for new opportunity.

No one picks up a musical instrument for the very first time and plays like a virtuoso the first time.
No one. Not even the most accomplished musician ever.
A young man was once mocked for his lack of musical technique during a concert as a teenager.
Nicknamed Yardbird (later shortened to Bird) for his love of eating chicken
Charlie Parker could have let that setback make him give up music.
Embarrassed, he experienced a 3 year period of isolation, practiced continually
and eventually emerged as one of the greatest musicians (arguably the best) the planet has ever heard.



Life is a learning experience, if we choose that avenue.
We can either choose to let setbacks stymie our progress,
or we can choose to learn improvement in ourselves
and also in our awareness of the external world.

Life will continually challenge us.
We can choose to allow it to defeat us, or we can better prepare ourselves
for future challenges and thus thrive.

So, don't lament it.
Embrace it.
It's just part of the natural success cycle.
Remember, the blues is alright.