Y’all we are so lucky. I just want to preface this post by saying that. We are healthy, loved and most problems we are facing, are FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS. (I say most because sometimes we do have big problems – losing a job, getting sick, losing a loved one, being in an abusive situation, among others). But many of our problems are not those on a day to day basis. We have enough to eat. We have enough to drink. We have work. We have friends. We have a roof over our heads. We are safe. We are loved. We are…LUCKY and everyday, we must remind ourselves to be grateful and not forsake these things that we often take for granted.
Ok, with that said, let’s just keep it real – place of truth kinda real, we still wallow in our sorrows from time to time over stupid stuff. How about this week? I had one of the most absolute times of my life last Saturday night followed by an amazing week – Eva had a really cool thing happen that she has been working towards for a long time, Mr. Tony and I hosted a fabulous evening with 50 friends with three college consultants and a DU Admissions Officer to talk to us about prepping for college – it was AH – mazing, a deal I was working on was going phenomenally, and Mr. Tony was pretty sure Friday was going to bring something he was hoping for….Y’all, I mean we were floating high!
And, then BAM! Things went South quick – I mean all the way to Rio, people, in a first world problems kind of way.
Eva’s gig ended in a big disappointment, my deal was starting to fall apart, Mr. Tony didn’t get what he wanted and on top of that, normal everyday stuff (first world problem stuff) starting rearing its ugly head. By yesterday morning, there was a gray cloud over our house so big, you could probably see it 50 miles away.
So, what did I do? Well, I…..
Gave Thanks, Gave Myself a few Glasses of Champs and Kept on Keeping On…
Now, many will say to me if I am feeling down – just get up and get busy. And, I do believe that. However, I feel there are two important steps to take before I get to that.
- The first is to Give Thanks….get out your gratitude journal and write down three things for which you are grateful. Yesterday, mine were:
- Grateful to have opportunities to grow; without failure and conflict, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience growth
- Grateful for our sweet Shelly who gave up her day to help us with ours
- Grateful for our family and friends who give us emotional support and love
- Second, I gave myself a Glass of Champs…and by that I mean, I was good to myself. I turned on my mattress heater (y’all it is the friggin arctic in Denver right now), snuggled in my bed, slathered on some lavender oil, got out a book, and read. I gave myself comfort for my soul.
- Third and finally after that nice glass of Champs, I got myself up and kept on keeping on…I decided to take control and clean out my closet. I felt good after two hours of productivity.
Now, I repeated steps 2 and 3 all day. I didn’t judge myself for crawling back in bed to watch an uplifting movie. I didn’t feel bad that I didn’t accomplish too much. I gave myself continual glasses of Champs and bursts of Keep on Keeping On until bedtime.
And, guess what, this morning I woke up and I feel better. I was ready to get out the computer and start writing. I am ready to do my errands, plan the week, whip up a great nourishing dinner, address some stuff with our family and make things happen. Now, I am not 100% but I am 100% over yesterday. And, by tomorrow, I venture to say I will be at 100% or close to it. But guess what, if I am not, then that is ok. I will just remind myself to:
Give Thanks, Pour a Glass of Champs and Keep on Keeping On…
Because that is ok. Life is not easy street – but what defines us is how we handle what comes our way and persevere. When life gets you down, be kind to yourselves. Give Thanks. When you are ready, get up and Keep on Keeping On.
Xo,
Hilary