“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation.  It means understanding that something is what it is and that there has to be a way through it.” Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox is an inspiration to me and to many and I am so happy to see the thought he added to the phrase: “…it is what it is,” –THAT  “there has to be a way through it.”

That phrase, “it is what it is,” has irritated me since about 2010, when it seemed to permeate many conversations that I was either having or topics that were being discussed by others. It seemed so definite and defining and I guess I am the type of person that cannot readily accept things as permanent or without possibility.  I would say I am not one to follow the “status quo.”  It doesn’t mean that I cannot accept some things, such as the manner in which the sun rises or set. It does mean that when something seems to be an irritation or an injustice, it bugs the hell out of me that I can not do something to improve it or that we cannot at least discuss possibilities. I do not think that makes me a “negative person” because I get so upset with that idea of “it is what it is.” One reason I get upset is that when someone says that to me it expresses a finality and that I “should just get over it and move on.”  Ignoring an injustice is not something I can do easily.  If anything, I am hopeful that things can be better!

“There has to be a way through it” expresses to me that there are countless possibilities. No matter how bad a situation, no matter how difficult the experience, there is a way out or forward. If one approach does not work, we can try another. Not giving up on possibilities is being hopeful and optimistic. Not giving up on others, no matter how many times they have done every possible thing to drive you down into the valley, there is always the hill that can be climbed to new heights.

Lately, our country is experiencing many soul-stretching boundaries. We have to look at our beliefs and what we actually live and breathe. With every spurt of growth there is a little pain. We have to keep on hoping in ourselves, in one another, and in the common good of humanity. I know I fail at this many times. but each day I wake up and have to try again and not give up or say “it is what it is.”  No, I must add, “there is a way through it” and continue with HOPEFUL ACTION.