20/05/21
The patient returned for a checkup a few weeks later. The book Crashing Through writes:
Her reaction startled Goodman.
She had been happy and content as a blind person. Now sighted, she became anxious and depressed.
She told him that she had spent her adult life on welfare and had never worked, married, or ventured far from home – a small existence to which she had become comfortably accustomed.
Now, however, government officials told her that she no longer qualified for disability, and they expected her to get a job. Society wanted her to function normally.
It was, she told Goldman, too much to handle.
Every goal you dream about has a downside that’s easy to overlook.
After Al Bean walked on the moon during Apollo 12, he turned to astronaut Pete Conrad and said “It’s kind of like the song: Is that all there is?”
Conrad was relieved, because he secretly felt the same, describing his moonwalk as spectacular but not momentous.
Most mental upside comes from the thrill of anticipation – actual experiences tend to fall flat.
If walking on the moon left astronauts underwhelmed, what does it say about our own earthly goals and expectations?
Hence enjoy the journey, enjoy the climb up, the top may just be not as exciting.
Stay blessed forever.
#dearson