I’ve received some very nice and intriguing comments about my last post and they led me to write more about the idea of adjusting.

In essence, it’s life. Life is one long adjustment, with a bunch of intermittent adjustments thrown in. I wrote my last post, initially with the idea of talking to brain injury survivors. The more I wrote and gave my views, the more I realized that it applied to everyone who has had to deal with an unintentional life-changing event. Then, after my post (post post), some comments got me thinking of who else may be able to relate and then thought “everyone”.

Graduation (from high school, college, or university) is an adjustment. A new job is an adjustment. Having kids is an adjustment. Retiring is an adjustment. These are simply easy ones to name, “big” ones. They all get more challenging the less prepared you are for it. For example, graduation is an event you see coming and it’s achieved with intention. It’s viewed as a good thing. An accomplishment. All of those events, when approached with intention and preparation are what we view as accomplishments. Intention and preparation.

Those two important elements are generally lacking when an accident happens and we’re forced to make an adjustment. Although making adjustments are what life’s all about, and although life is viewed as a good thing, ‘adjustment’ has a negative connotation. People are “forced to make adjustments” and even when given a positive spin, it’s with a qualifier – “a good adjustment”, “the correct adjustment”.

Since adjustments are such an essential and ever-present part of life, viewing them negatively goes against the whole notion of life being good. Embracing the idea of adjustment, that adjustment makes life more interesting (whether due to a “good” or “bad” event), gives a new look to challenges.

It’s not about ‘making the best of a bad situation’, it’s simply about adjusting.