[Image credit: anat_tikker]

Oftentimes, I get caught up in my own day-to-day issues — the ups and downs and everything in between.  From my sore ankle, to my fairly nonexistent gym life, to the myriad irons in the fire, to writing commitments (those I’m managing well and others I keep putting off), social obligations, health concerns, parenting, work and home lives, and the list goes on.  I can’t help but wonder how many of us believe we’re alone and no one can possibly understand half of what we’re dealing with on a daily basis.  But then I discovered during the course of various conversations over the past several months, that essentially the same stories repeat themselves — only with different names, faces and places.  Tales marked by similar themes of loneliness, heartache, unfulfilled dreams and disappointments.  Perhaps if I focused more on others by taking the spotlight off of myself — by donating my time to a worthy cause, for example — my own issues would pale in comparison.  Or at least maybe I’d better appreciate the view from my vantage point.  And it just might help make the ride easier for someone else.

How do you cope with life’s roller coaster?