Who knew that Henry Rollins, a punk rock musician, and I had something in common….the desire to take adversity and turn it into something positive. It seems like more and more it’s a “I have it worse than you” world and no one can win that game. And who wants to?
Yes, life is tough and there are lots of things that happen that make us just want to curl up in the fetal position and give up. But when that happens, get help, help to move forward and find the joy in life again. The phrase I say to myself hundreds of times a day is, “Because I can.” It works wonders from simple things like returning my grocery cart to the stand while others leave theirs for the store to retrieve….because I’m ABLE to do it it makes me feel good to do it. I use the same mantra when I have to make a difficult phone call or make a decision that I’d rather put off. I just keep reminding myself how lucky I am that I can walk, talk, think, sing, dance, etc….I will lose these abilities some day, but for now I can. And every terrible thing that’s happened in my life, and in 50 years there have been plenty, I wear them like a battle scar, but as Henry says, that just means I’m tougher.
So hugs to anyone going through difficult times, but remember, EVERYONE is going through something or has, or will, so move away from the “my life sucks more club” and find a support group that will admire your scars and then remind you that you’re becoming stronger. Because in the end the only way to be happy is to not dwell on the bad stuff. Find joy, find strength, and find yourself.
Wishing you a joyous journey.
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