It’s that in between time of the year. I awake to 6 degrees Fahrenheit and by the afternoon it’s 60 some degrees. Such is life in the Midwest but it’s also life in general. Highs and lows can happen within the blink of an eye! One minute you’re on top of the world and the next minute you fall to the depths of hell.

When I was a weekend hospital chaplain I thought about the tipsy turvy nature of life. A guy—it’s usually a guy—has his Saturday all planned out. In the morning he’d do a few chores around the house, run a few errands in the afternoon before taking his spouse for dinner. But then, as he cleans the last gutter he misses a step on the ladder and ends up in the emergency room with a broken ankle or worse! Life’s falls are hard.

My cat and I have been watching a squirrel perform acrobatics on a bird feeder (a squirrel has to eat, too) when it struck me; the key to living through life’s ups and downs is to simply hang in there. Hang on tight even if you have to do a few acrobatics. You’ll not only get stronger but more creative in your resilience.