The Big Picture

I've heard it a thousand times from a thousand different people. Don't worry it just means there is something else better out there. There's a picture that neither I nor you can fully see at this point in time. I'll give credit to my friends and family, there very well may be some truth to this. I believe some things are meant to happen if only to teach us a lesson or help us appreciate life a bit more. At the same time, I still like to hold onto the fact that we have a lot of control over our life. God didn't tell me to quit Ford, my personal dissatisfaction did. God didn't prevent me from landing one of the advertising positions I interviewed for. The account directors and managers sitting across from those brown tables did.

Is there something better out there? I would like to hope so. I believe there are two reasons why people say this. The first will be demonstrated by a conversation about being denied a position:

ME: "Hey Dad, well I just got the call back. It looks like they are going to offer the position to someone else."
DAD: "That's too bad son. Well you better go apply to McDonalds because from here on out you are going to have one shitty life. I just don't think things are going to get better."

A make-believe conversation of course, but if people were to tell you there wasn't something better then you would only slip further into depression. The reason people say this is to try and cheer someone's spirits. It's the same as saying rain on your wedding day is good luck. No it's not, it's the opposite and people know this. They just say this to comfort the newlyweds.

Then we can look at it from another angle. Technically it is possible. If I won the 10 million lottery, what would be better than that? The 100 Mega Millions of course. I get married to a girl on welfare, but am truly in love. Love is pretty incredible, but it would be all the better if she happened to be a trust fund baby. The cure for cancer. Wonderful, now the same doctor finds cures for HIV, diabetes, and MS.

Now I'm not trying to be over pessimistic here. I'm actually in much better spirits after my rejection than I thought I would be. Again I have this blank canvas, clean state to start working on. I have an opportunity to start a new journey. I'm no Dorothy with a path of gold laid out in front of me. This road will have it share of pot holes and detours, but it will be those obstacles that develop my character and will only make me stronger.

The Human Heart

Facts
1. The heart beats approximately 100,000 times in one day, 35 million times in a year, and during an average lifetime, beats more than 2.5 billion times.
2. The aorta, the largest artery is almost the diameter of a garden hose
3. The human body has 6 quarts of blood. This blood circulates through the body three times every minute. In one day, the blood travels a total of 12,000 miles, that's four times the distance across the US from coast to coast.
4. The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of blood during an average lifetime--enough to fill more than 3 super tankers.

What's more amazing about this muscle is all the stress that it is put through. It beats to sustain life, it beats so that we may wake up everyday to take on the world. While the above facts are interesting in their own right, there are other aspects of the human heart that never cease to amaze me. We describe people using the word heart. That guy sure is cold hearted, or she wears her heart on her sleeve.

This pulsating organ we rely on daily can surprise us with skipping a beat. From a friend sneaking up behind you or looking between your skis on a chairlift and the run you are about to face, your heart stops for a split second. Taking your breath away at the same time.

Discomfort can be connected to our heart and I'm not talking about the burn that can be cured by the pink bottle. There is heart ache that no liquid or tablets can over come. The reason for such pain differs from individual to individual: lost of a loved one, the breaking off of a relationship, or a flight back to Detroit. Tomorrow I learn of my status on a job I desperately want. This is the first time I have truly wanted a position. I've interviewed with companies before and now after graduation, however I have never been as concerned about a position as I am now. Chances of getting it, well technically 20% since I am 1 out of 5 they interviewed. After receiving positive feedback and feeling confident I felt certain this position was to be mine. Now I am trying to be realistic, and grasp the fact that there are things I have no control over such as more qualified candidates. However it doesn't hide the fact that I want this job. The desire penetrating all the way to my core, my heart.