One of the lessons that I learned in life, and that I try to impart on my son and all those who would listen is to take things for what they are. It is what it is.
What I mean by this is that sometimes things that you don’t like may happen. Perhaps you may be required to do something that you don’t want to. Life may deny you something that you want. Whatever the case is, there are things that are beyond your control and you simply have to accept them. It is what it is.
I’ve said it a few times already, and that’s because one of my favorite quotes in life is, “It is what it is.” I’ve said this to myself many times over the course of my life. I believe it started when this beautiful woman who I was deeply in love with broke things off with me. It hurt me on a level that cannot be fathomed, but as I hurt and struggled to cope, I repeated to myself, “It is what it is.” Well, it was more like, “Fuck it! It is what it is.” LOL.
Eventually, I believed and accepted that mantra. It is what it is. Now as I get older, I often shrug my shoulders, frown, tilt my head, and say those exact same words to myself. It is what it is.
Mind you, this doesn’t apply to everything. If someone is doing bad things to you, or hurting you, you don’t have to sit around and take it. “It is what it is” does not apply in that context.
What I mean is if you get called into work because of an emergency on your day off, or you are asked to work a double, that’s when you simply gotta do what you gotta do, it is what it is. If someone is hurting you, or you are in an undesirable situation, then I’d say that you have the right to remove yourself from that situation. Don’t say “it is what it is” in that instance. Tell them to go fuck themselves and remove yourself.
In any case, if you understand this saying, when it applies, and simply accept that often times, it is what it is, you’ll be just fine in life. Know that life will serve you what it serves you, some of those things will make you unhappy and some won’t. When that happens, just remember these words: It is what it is.
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
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