The ride

In response to my post "Facing Darkness", my friend also sent me the following observation by Jenkins Lloyd Jones (as quoted by President Gordon B. Hinckley of the LDS Church):

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed.

[The fact is] most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise …

Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.

The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.

I sometimes lament the fact that life (or at least my life) isn't more exciting. There is certainly the occasional beautiful vista or thrilling burst of speed, but on a whole they don't occur as frequently as I would like. Perhaps I need to reset my expectations and simply be thankful for the ride.