March 8, 2008

Dear Piper,

How do you keep yourself going when you don't have any more "keep on going" in ya? It seems as if all that could go wrong...does go wrong. and keeping a good attitude just doesn't work anyMORE!

--at wits end...4 real

Dear at wits end,

Life can be a bastard, right? And there are times when it seems like no matter what you do, no matter what route you take, no matter how hard you try, no matter the desired outcome, it all goes heinously wrong. So wrong that talking to your friends and eating a jar of peanut butter doesn't help.

Here's a method that's worked for me in the past. I don't look at the big picture because it's too daunting and I can't control it. I look at the little picture and it's manageable. So I'll say to myself, "Piper, you're going to keep it going for the next five hours." And then that's what I do. By breaking Life down to a parcel of time I'm able to commit to a beginning and an end, and it doesn't overwhelm me. What happens after the five hours? Well, it's funny, but when you've 'kept it going' for that period of time, you feel a lot better about yourself and Life in general once that sixth hour begins. Thus, 'keeping it going' gets marginally easier the more you do it.

Now, you mentioned having a good attitude. Remember that 'keeping it going' and 'keeping it going with a good attitude' are two different things. The latter takes a lot more energy and is overrated, if you ask me. This is where your more annoying quotes come from: what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger...God doesn't give you more than you can handle...every dark cloud has a silver lining. Whatever! If you are truly at the end of your rope, I say put all your resources into 'keeping it going' and screw the good attitude.

--Piper