Surviving

I've been reflecting on people referred to as "survivors" and the traits peculiar to them as opposed to others not necessarily labelled as survivors. Those people that exhibit a gift for going through life challenges that, on the surface, daunt others. Those individuals that live through things most of the population never have to deal with; who face difficulties that seem horrendous and come through them seemingly unscathed -- ready to face another day. What is their motivation to survive? Where does their will to overcome these challenges come from? Is it mere habit? Are they just old souls that don't know any better? Have they been reincarnated so many times that it's just all they know to do? Have they been given a special gift? Do they love life more than the rest of us? Do they have loved ones that couldn't live without them and they live for them? Or can they not live without their loved ones and they survive to live another day with them? What if they aren't really tied to anyone? What then? What do THEY survive for? Do they survive just to say they survived? Is it in the genes? Is it hard-wired into them? Maybe it runs in families, in certain types of personalities or in the birth order. Or in how many tragedies they have witnessed before the first life challenge presents itself... and they have had time to think about the nature of tragedy and how it unfolds.

Tragedy unfolds one simple moment at a time... it doesn't unfold all at once. Some moments are more horrific than others, some moments hurt more than others, but it only lasts for a moment, then it's over. Another moment starts and takes the last moment's place and it's not quite as bad... or it's worse and you laugh because you thought the last moment was so awful. You just have to hold on then it's over, and you can start again in the next moment. Maybe that's it; when you've seen enough tragedy -- when you've had so many challenges that you understand the nature of tragedy -- it becomes YOUR nature. You just figure it out. You know that moments don't last forever; only forever is forever.