ADVERSITY IN AN ADVERSE WORLD

Merriam-Webster defines the word ADVERSITY as;

Adversity noun

ad· ver· si· ty | \ ad-ˈvər-sə-tē \

plural adversities

Definition of Adversity

: a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune

Origins of Adversity: LATIN-advertere, LATIN-adversitas, OLD FRENCH-adversite, to Middle English-adversity

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Adversity means different things to people; the interpretation based on each individual’s experience, life stage, principles and moral compass. For example, in a crowd of thousands, I say think of the colour red. Close your eyes, visualize and put the colour red in your mind. Each one of us is going to have a different shade of red, based on who we are and where you are, by this, I mean physically and psychically where we are. Each one of us with an Adversity quotient. What colour is your Adversity? What kind of shape is your Adversity? Take up a pencil crayon, marker or crayon and draw your Adversity on paper. Admire your work, then burn the paper. You’ve taken the first steps in dealing with Adversity.

Sure, it’s tough to look Adversity squarely in the eye and stare it down. It takes courage, yet power through it, you WILL. I know you can, in fact, and more importantly, YOU know you can. You don’t need someone’s permission, a push, a nudge, no, just a few words of encouragement; you CAN do this! I know in my bones! You CAN do this.

How about I share some of my adversities for you? Hopefully, by doing this, it may lend perspective to your adverse situation.

1. Personal caregiver for my ailing father, 2015 to 2018. My father succumbed to a myriad of health complications in September 2018, ending his suffering.

2. January 2018. Life-saving open-heart surgery to fix an aortic aneurism and faulty aortic heart valve found during a routine check-up and cardio-vascular stress test. My surgeon told me that he rarely ever gets to inform a patient that they can be saved by surgery, as my type of aneurism is well, fatal. When the artery ruptures, in my case, you have minutes to live. I’m living. Grateful to be alive each day.

3. February 2020. A “stroke-like” event while driving the family to a skate trail adventure in Huntsville. To this day, the various specialists are not sure what happened even after a myriad of tests and an extended hospital stay at Huntsville General and Saint Mike’s.

4. March 24, 2020, was day zero for me. Life in the agency world ended, again, amidst all the COVID-19’s socio-business impacts, TERMINATED.

5. Dealing with the myriad of challenges and stresses of COVID-19.

Cut to scene: giving Adversity a GREAT BIG HUG! Yup, no fear, no awkward anxiety, no way! Just me and my pal Adversity.

Positive, affirming, empowering words welcomed.

Negativity, harsh words, insulting words, take a hike.

Stare your Adversity squarely in the eyes, give it a great big hug & POWER THROUGH IT!

Be Well and Be Safe

Greg Hennessy