A sadder and wiser me...

"He went like one that hath been stunned,
And is of sense forlorn :
A sadder and a wiser man,
He rose the morrow morn."
-S.T. Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner


If life was a piece of cake, few would have relished its taste. Err, food surfaces predominantly even in my profound thoughts, ahem. Jokes apart, adversity does indeed make us sad, but it also offers oppurtunity to become wise. 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going.' Heard that one before.
But you know, sometimes it makes us very sad. And then you don't understand what to do. And then you realize that when effort and understanding fail, then it only means one thing-that Allah had a different plan...and surely there must be some good in an apparant evil. Or else it would have worked out just the way you wanted it to. Oh well, C'est La Vie. Easy to say, hard to follow. Hard yes, but not impossible.
Prayers, they say, can change destiny. And I have seen that happen, way too many times to ignore that bit. And have also seen how prayers not answered work favorably too...because what you wanted so bad at one time, wasn't so good after all, in fact; we are often better off without it.
Easy to say I know. Or else there would have been no tears. No moments of despair. But then again, a phoenix rises from the ashes too. And Allah is close to those who bear with patience. And I hope we have enough grace to accept that. Ameen.