The correlation between life’s obstacles and cooked broccoli

Broccoli, is a vegetable clinically proven to keep our bodies healthy.

Rich in cholesterol-lowering vitamins, broccoli also reduces the risk of breast, lung and colon cancer.
The more you eat it, the more likely you are to enjoy a healthier life.

We can all agree, this leafy green vegetable provides amazing benefits.

But let’s face it, broccoli STINKS when you cook it.

Just the other day, my kids declared the after-dinner odor as intolerable.
To minimize the foul residue we lit candles as though the house lost electrical power.

How can something so good for you smell so bad?

Similarly, life’s obstacles are proven to keep our life priorities in order yet like cooked broccoli, it stinks to experience loss, challenges and difficulties to overcome.

The lessons of hardship provide long lasting benefits we may not always recognize including:

• A deeper compassion for those who struggle in life and feel hopeless
• A stronger resilience during tough times as we learn more effective ways to cope
• A greater capacity to extend kindness during daily stresses such as traffic jams or waiting too long in a grocery line don’t seem worth the negativity they can cause
• A far reaching appreciation for life’s simple pleasures grows in our hearts as we face difficult circumstances beyond our control

Our choice and resolve to face difficulties with a hopeful attitude can lead to wiser choices and a greater sense of what really matters.

The challenges we face such as losing a job or experiencing great disappointment are rich opportunities to strengthen us.

When life presents  the “cooked broccoli” moments that stink, remember the benefits it provides if you allow it. And don’t forget to light a candle.