Listen to the article — take the red pill.
I’m clenching my teeth again. My head is starting to hurt from biting down so hard, and Tylenol isn’t working like it’s supposed to. Maybe I’m dehydrated? Maybe sucking down vape juice from the JUUL I switched to two months ago is giving me headaches? PANG! A sharp jolt to the side of my temple reminds me that I can’t focus on anything for too long.
At the same time, my stomach fills like it’s in the pretzel knot Olympics. Was it something I ate? My wife was at the same dinner last night and feels fine.
So what is it?
I have two choices in front of me.
I can take the blue pill, and I’ll go on living life tight and anxious and overwhelmed.
Or I can take the red pill, grab my internal monologue and worries by the beitzim (Hebrew for eggs ;)), and get out of any funk I momentarily fall into.
These are the two choices we face every day. Did someone cut you off in traffic? You can get angry or let it go—the blue or red pill.
Money issues? You have the choice to be stressed or believe that if G-d can take care of a little bug, He can surely take care of you—the blue or red pill.
If I consider what I’m working on these days—building my business, raising a Chassidic family, and moving to a new city–it’s perfectly normal to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
But that’s the blue pill.
That’s if I live on autopilot. If I click on cruise control, then I’ll feel sad, depressed, and angry. But if I drive myself through the darkness of night, I’ll get to the light at the end of the road. And then I’ll hit some darkness and a rough patch again and have the choice at my fingertips again.
We constantly encounter moments that aim to derail us. We can’t control the weather, the other guy, the planet alignment, or our place in the great cosmic tapestry of existence. But we can choose how we respond to them. We can choose whether to fall asleep at the wheel or drive with intention.
I, for one, will take the red pill and say goodbye to this headache once and for all.
Let’s see how deep this rabbit hole of Life goes.
Cover Photo by SHAMBHAVI SINGH on Unsplash
Are you unaware of the connotations of the colors?
An excellent reminder that we choose to suffer. Our greatest memories are related to overcoming struggle. Why is it we don't appreciate the struggle until it is over? Because we forget to choose in the moment.