The last weeks, I’ve been struggling with reality–pushing against walls that aren’t gonna budge, scraping my hands and bruising my head.

Yesterday, I visited my grandfather in the hospital (later in the afternoon, we moved him to a rehabilitation facility, praise God!), and the cantankerous, strong old man said to me over and over, “It is what it is.”  His body has gotten well enough to be discharged, but isn’t behaving quite the way younger, healthier bodies do; yet, instead of cursing this failing instrument, he said of the setback, “oh well, it is what it is.”

He doesn’t waste his time and little energy on anger or resistance to the reality that’s happening to him, he takes as deep a breath as he’s able to muster and says, “it is what it is.”  This is acceptance.  This is what I’ve been trying to learn through yoga over the last few years, and what I’m being pushed into in other areas of my life.

It is what it is.

On the way to the airport yesterday morning, talking about news and social media with my uncle, this 28-year-old admitted to a man in the journalism business that most of my news comes from Facebook.  My friends curate my awareness of the world most days, and I know it results in very little brand or site loyalty on my part, I said to this business journal executive.  He replied, “That will make any media executive shake in his shoes” (as I knew it would), “but I just say, ‘okay, that’s the reality, so what do we do with it?'”  His optimism took me aback as dawn rose on the East coast, but I realized, too, that it is simply pragmatism–this is reality, and that can’t be fought or wished away.

It is what it is.  what do we do now?