There's a building in San Francisco that caught my eye when I was there this past week.
Unlike the other buildings that shaped the skyline, this one was not symmetrical.
The rooms jutted out from the sides of the building at different angles, giving the illusion of flexibility, and a sense that the building wasn't quite solid.
I stopped to just look at it for a bit. Took a picture. Tried not to look too much like a tourist (even though I very much felt like one).
I thought about how life can be like that building.
Sometimes the angles are sharp and square, giving us a sense of security and solidity.
But other times they jut out all over the place, shifting underneath our feet, making it difficult to stand our ground.
And the most interesting part is that every day is different.
I have my days where I feel on top of the world, life is grand, things are falling into place.
Then the very next day, those asymmetrical angles trip me up and I'm trying to dig my way out of the chaos and make sense of it all.
I'm beginning to truly understand that this is just how life works.
The reality is that the solid ground beneath our feet is just an illusion.
If you look closely, it's actually a constantly shifting, ever-changing landscape.
But when you stop and think about it, what fun would it be if life was always linear?
What if we knew the exact path we were going to take and how to find our way through it because every situation was the same?
I'm pretty sure we'd get bored very quickly.
We weren't put on this earth to be boring. At least, I know I wasn't.
And I believe we were given this life to learn from it.
To adapt, to navigate through challenges, to experience new things, and most importantly, to become our very best selves.
We need to learn to shift when life changes beneath our feet. To anticipate and expect that the lines aren't going to be straight.
When we realize and accept that reality, we can grow stronger through the hard times, resilient through the sad ones, and more confident with every success.
Think of it this way. Each of us is a little bit like that building.
We shimmer in the sunlight.
We are majestic in the dark of the night.
We weather the storms and the rain (and the bird poop!)
We stand strong against the skyline, unique and breathtaking in our own right.
We show off our asymmetrical angles, and inspire people passing by to pause and enjoy the view.
The illusion that life is composed of straight lines and solid ground can be difficult to see through.
But if you are able to, I think you'll find that the view is spectacular.