Lonely Hearts

A pity beyond all telling is hid in the heart of love - William Yeats

Today's article is special for the reason that I speak as a man who knows how hard it can be to be an adult and a man. I write to you today not as a blogger or an author, but as a man who experiences every day struggles in this ever changing world. I write to you also as a man whose heart has recently been broken.

Many times, when a man comes home from work, he hasn't had a perfect day. He may have failed in delivering a project on time due to short deadlines, an accident could have happened at work and he had to work longer or take the blame. Maybe he asked for a raise and didn't get it; it could even be a promotion that he missed. More often than not he has had a difficult encounter with a client or a co-worker. Sometimes a man has been rejected for a job that he had applied for elsewhere. Life is full of disappointments but one never quite gets used to it.

Every day we live, we try to be better, to make better choices in order to have a better future. Of all our endeavours though, very few tend to succeed. More often than not, we succeed at the small things rather than at the big things. We succeed in organizing our day, in meeting deadlines, in making new acquaintances and even in going for a holiday once a year. However, when it comes to some of the big things like getting a promotion or getting a scholarship, it's no longer as easy.

Disappointments come in many shapes and sizes and everyone has a different way of dealing with it. This depends on age and character. Younger people may prefer the bottle but older people who realize that temporary escapades cannot offer permanent solutions have a variety of ways for dealing with it. We can sweep small disappointments under the rug and simply tell everyone that we are fine. The truth is, it is the big disappointments that make the real difference. They are what drive couples apart, cause parents to distance themselves from children. Sometimes they can even affect performance at the workplace.

To all those who have pain in their lives, I say to you that a man is not a man without a few of life's disappointments.

“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” 

― Oprah Winfrey