When God closes a door, He opens a window.
In French there is a somewhat similar proverb:
A quelque chose
malheur est bon--
which can be translated as: A bad thing leading to a good thing.
Today I was thinking about the back problem that affected me
when I was in my mid-thirties. At the time, my life seemed perfect. We just
moved to Ohio and bought a big house. My children, then 7 and 12, were in a
good school and doing well, and I had gone back to work for a great
company after getting a MS in Chemistry. I was starting to forget the difficult beginnings and I was enjoying life.
At work, I shared a lab with four other chemists. We
developed methods of analysis for pharmaceutical products, vitamin B12, Cepacol
gargle, Oil of Olay, and others, and I used state of the art equipment. Before running
an analysis we had to prep the samples using various solvents that usually came in 4
gallon jars. There was no space for more than one jar of each type of solvent in our third-floor laboratory.
When we used it all we had to run down to the basement and carry a new heavy jar up the three floors through the metallic stairs. No solvents were allowed in the
elevators.
After a year in the lab, I woke up one day unable to walk. My left leg wouldn’t carry me. Long story
short, the doctors diagnosed a slipped disk in my vertebral column and bluntly told me I couldn’t
continue to work standing on my feet all day long and carrying heavy things. I should shift career. I
couldn’t believe my ears.
Anyway, my parents brought me to Boston where they
lived and had many friends in the medical field. A neurosurgeon ordered a
special brace for my back that I had to wear for six months under my clothes and six other months
when I drove. I learned to bend my knees before I carried anything. My company gave me a leave of absence for one year.
Determined
not to remain idle at home, I applied for the Ph.D. program at the University
of Cincinnati and was accepted. A new life started for
me. I spent more time with the children, driving them to their
various after-school activities, but I always had a book in my bag. I read and
studied while attending soccer games and clapping hands, while watching ballet
or skating lessons. Soon, our dining room became a study room with my books
spread over the big table. The children often joined me and we made a very
studious group.
I graduated four years later and was hired as manager of a
lab. No more standing on my feet. The job turned into an interesting career
with international traveling, until I took an early retirement to follow my
dream and write novels.
Available at Amazon |
I never regretted my second time around in school. My back
problem had been a blessing in disguise.
Have you experienced a time when a problem led to something good?
Mona Risk is a USA TODAY bestselling author of sweet--and
not-so-sweet--romantic comedies. You can view all her books at www.monarisk.com or sign
up for her newsletter.
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