When I was a kid, I was pretty athletic, so I enjoyed doing sports like things. One of favorite things was running through obstacle courses. Sometimes I even made up my own and did them with friends. What I didn’t realize is that I would be competing in them my whole life, most of the time, not even knowing I was doing them.

For instance, there is the obvious one that I do almost everyday. The commute to work. There is the stop lights that I’m racing to avoid, or other drivers I’m either trying to get past or trying to avoid them passing me. Then there is the construction areas, I’m trying to find my way past.

Then there is less obvious ones, like the one where I try to go from waking up in the morning to getting out the door unscathed. From the trying to find a set of clothes that are semi-clean to the trying to get dressed in time to drive one kid to the bus, to making sure the other one gets dressed before he misses his bus, there are all kinds of obstacles.

Then there is the constant dodging at work of the boss and co-workers trying to make you do more work, to getting home before the light goes down. I’m losing that battle lately. Just seems like I’m spending my whole life in a constant obstacle course. But you know, if it wasn’t for obstacles, it sure would be much harder to be bitter (not that I couldn’t always find something). Anyways, on to the thing you care about, the Bitter Giftures…

Doesn’t it seem like…

Then there are the people…

Some people are pretty good…

…at thinking outside the box when dealing with obstacles.

Others just make everything…

…harder when it comes to obstacles.

Life is throwing you…

…a lot of these.

Some seem to invent…

…obstacles for themselves.

Others don’t see…

…them coming.

And some…

…know exactly how to get through them.

So will fight tooth and nail…

…just to get a little something…

While some…

…just actively avoid them.

Some try to buy their way…

…past them.

While others…

…just can’t seem to avoid them.

No matter who you are, no matter how hard you try, you will not avoid the inevitability of obstacle courses in your life. No matter how rich or poor, happy or bitter, they are like Liam Neeson in Taken. Life has a particular set of skills and obstacles will find you and they will kill you…or make you stronger. Either way, thanks to obstacles, the business of bitterness will always exist. So thanks…and also no thanks.

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH

Bitter Obstacle Course Ben