ups and downs

I sent out an email last night that talks about the ups and downs of life (which I have many of those it seems):

Life is like a roller coaster...you go up and down, and sometimes you feel like you are spinning out of control. This is for all of you who wonder if life will ever "even out." I am just as guilty as you when it comes to wishing life would mellow down for a while without the intense highs and lows. Hopefully this will give you a little perspective...it sure did for me. I got it from a book I just finished recently called "The Continuous Atonement" (a good read, by the way).

I'm just going to quote straight from the book because I am lacking in eloquence tonight :)

"I remember as a young schoolteacher...asking my wife, Debi, 'When does life even out? Why does it always feel like a roller coaster with so many highs and lows all in the same day? I wish life would just level out.'

"Being a nurse, Debi replied, 'Brad, when you get hooked up to the heart monitor, you don't want to see a straight line. That's bad news. It's the ups and downs that let you know you are alive.'

"The highs and lows let us know we are participating and not just observing, learning and not just existing. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, 'I know it isn't easy. It's discouraging at times, sure. Aren't you glad it isn't just fun all the time? Those valleys of discouragement make more beautiful the peaks of achievement' (Discourses, 1:301)."