There are new strips going across the road on one of my neighborhood streets. There was no warning that they were coming. They just appeared one day without any public notice or explanation. They make a lot of noise when driven over and they create a bumpy ride for a few feet. I guess they have a purpose. Perhaps they cause speeders to slow down. They may even make distracted drivers take their eyes off their phones. All I know is that I do not like them. If I knew another way to reach my destination, I would avoid the street with the strips. But since I don't, I take my familiar route and think to myself that it's a temporary inconvenience to bump along over the strips and then the roadway becomes smooth again.

It is the same way with life sometimes. We can be moseying along happily, not bothering anybody and being kind to everyone. Then something happens to us out of the blue. It's not our fault that someone does something to us either out of negligence or on purpose. And we sometimes cannot help how we immediately react. We may be shocked. We may be stunned silent. We may be angry that the guy broke our thing. We're only human. The best thing to do, ultimately, is to dig deep and claw our way out of the darkness back to the bright light.

Life is short. We have to do our best to live it joyfully. As we traverse the bumps in the road along the way, it is important to remember that as long as we live, we have hope for a brighter tomorrow.