life goes on***

you work
you plan
you hope 
you dream

when something happens to change any or all of that
"life goes on"
when life is different than we thought it was going to be
"life goes on"
when we are left with choices we would rather not have to make
"life goes on"
when we are in situations we want no part of
as long as our heart keeps beating
as long as our lungs keep drawing breath
as long as our other organs keep functioning
life goes on,
...whether we want it to or not

we can be tied to "the plan", grow frustrated because it is invalid
or we can rework the plan, 
holding onto what is valuable,
while implementing new ideas and strategies as needed

we can focus on hope that will never be realized
or treasure the good of what was
look for the good of what is
and, in time, allow new hopes to grow

we can hold tightly to broken dreams
or dare to dream different ones
perhaps building off of old ones, 
but maybe scrapping them and starting fresh

"life goes on"
choosing to live
is an entirely different matter
when plans have been destroyed
when hope has been crushed
when dreams have been shattered
sometimes it takes awhile to get to the living part of life

***FYI; By the Way; Warning; Helpful Hint:
"Life goes on" is NOT a particularly helpful thing to say to someone who is hurting. They know it does. Someone said it to me early in this grieving process. Those words hurt. A lot. My "life" was suddenly a stranger, something I didn't recognize and had a hard time grasping. The fact that life is still going on can be one of the biggest components of the pain and struggle, especially when it is fresh or raw. So please don't direct those words to anyone who is wounded. Just don't.