Growing up, our local playground might not have had much, but we still flocked there.

I didn’t like the seesaw because I was a featherweight compared to most other kids. That meant it was easy for the boys to use their weight to keep me up in the air. There were times when I had to do a high jump to get off.

I was thinking about that seesaw lately because sometimes it seems that life is a seesaw. We can be enjoying a smooth, tranquil ride until suddenly we have to work harder not to get stuck.

On a seesaw it’s always important not to get stuck in the air with no easy way out.

Just like having to learn how to jump off the ride when I was a kid, I find in life it’s important to know when I should hang on or when I need to let go and jump off.

Knowing when to let go is a life skill worth knowing.

I’ve always loved the Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler.”

I like the chorus that says: “You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.”

That can apply to much more than a card game. It can also apply to people.

If we know when we should walk away we can sometimes save ourselves a world of hurt.

Even the beginning of the song that appears to be a lesson in gambling can offer some worthwhile life smarts.

“The secret to surviving,” sings Kenny Rogers, is “knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep.”

That could be the anthem for cleaning out a drawer or cleaning out toxic people from your life.

I found myself singing that song after I had lunch with a friend who had bad news. She is now going through her third divorce. She says she doesn’t know why guys are so self-centered.

I suggested she might benefit from understanding herself better to understand why her three marriages failed. Maybe she should have walked away before the marriage.

I’m not saying it’s easy to know when it’s time to walk away from a relationship. It can be one of the toughest decisions to make.

While sometimes the best thing to do is walk away, so many times that’s not the answer.

Many a troubled marriage turns out to be worth saving. But like the songs says, the trick is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep.

Years ago a friend was consumed with plans to divorce her husband. She stayed for their two little boys, and it turned out to be the best decision for her. And for the entire family.

They just came back from a 30th anniversary trip and it’s nice to see how happy they are.

It isn’t just relationships that are hard.

My friends and I often comment that as we get older life gets harder. Even things that were once simple start to be hard.

Throw in some health issues and there’s more to handle.

And just when I think I know all the answers to my own life’s challenges, they change the tests.

As most readers know, I’m primarily an up person.

Sometimes, though, it seems like the universe is conspiring against us when problems keep piling up faster than we can solve them.

A woman in church asked me how I can stay up all the time. I told her no one can be up all the time.

Then what? Then I need a time out with some of the remedies that work for me.

What is the best way to stay happy? My friends and I agree on what works for us is being filled with gratitude for every single thing.

Kindness melts away some of life’s rough edges. Sometimes we don’t even have to look for kindness. It comes to us. Other times when I need a boost in my spirits I know where to go.

There are some people we can count on who are like a healing tonic.

They are not the kind of people who never have a problem. Quite the contrary. They have more than their share of pain and physical problems. But they are spiritual people who are grounded in faith and wisdom.

Maybe one of their secrets is downplaying their own problems while they constantly give thanks for their blessings.

I had a recent outing with my friend Pauline and did indeed walk away filled with gratitude for life. Strangely, we didn’t talk about our problems. There is so much more to life.

My friend Jean is in a wheelchair and is in constant pain. She can’t swallow food and lives on two liquid meals a day. Yet she is extraordinarily grateful for life.

Sometimes she calls me and others to make sure we’re doing OK.

I notice in church people reach out to touch her hand or give her a hug. In a way that’s hard to explain: We touch her because we know there is something very special about her.

Of all the things that can recharge my batteries and make me feel good, right on top are good people.

And if you think life is like a seesaw, at least there are ways to get a better ride.

Email Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net