“Life happens.” I’m not sure where I picked up this phrase but I certainly do like it. It sums up just about any and every thing that life throws at you…good things, bad things, happy things, sad things, trying things, fun things, exhilarating things and exhausting things. It’s not an excuse but merely a way to say, “Sorry I haven’t kept in touch” Or, ” I’ve been meaning to do this but….life kinda got in the way.”
Well, life has been throwing a bunch of things my way as of late. In the past month and a half my husband and I have organized a major move back to Texas, became landlords and property managers, retired from the Air Force (my husband served 26 years), celebrated a birth in the family (my sister’s little boy), mourned a death in the family (my husband’s aunt), had surgery (carpal tunnel in my hand), enrolled our kids in school and started to embark on our new careers as entrepreneurs. Whew. That’s six or seven major life events in less than a couple of months! Did I mention that we’ve been living out of our suitcases for the last two months too? Miraculously, I’ve kept my sanity through it all.
Life isn’t always a smooth ride for us. It’s has a lot of ups and downs. Somehow, someway we seem to manage. Of course, a little bit of organizing and planning help, but sometimes it takes a little bit more than that. For me, it took a few other things to get me through these tough times…and I would venture to guess they could help you through tough times too.
Stop and breathe. When was the last time you actually stopped, turned off all electronics, tuned-out any distractions, sat alone, and just breathed? It’s been awhile for me, but when I did…well, I can’t fully explain the feeling but it was like my body and mind were saying, “Thank, you! Thank you so much. It’s about time you gave us a break!”
Re-prioritize. Many of us have a tendency to think that we can maintain our normal routines and responsibilities even when we take on new ones. We somehow feel that we are weak or unorganized if we can’t “keep up” with life’s new changes. Well, the reality is that many of us are capable of doing a lot of things but at some point, your super-human meter is going to get pegged-out and something has to give. You have to stop and re-prioritize what is important and make sacrifices. My fitness, for example is taking a back seat for now. Although I joke that fitness is my second religion because it is so important to me, I had to come to terms with the fact that I won’t be able to give 100% until we’re settled into our new home. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but sometimes you have to sacrifice a little to focus on bigger priorities.
Say No. I wrote a post awhile back about the power of saying “NO” to simplifize your life. This is an extremely tough thing to do but a wonderful and often necessary way to help get you through demanding times. As a matter of fact, I had to take a dose of my own medicine and say no to writing on my blog. Yes…this blog that I love so much had to take a back seat to my other priorities. But don’t worry…I’m back with much, much more to share with all of you!
Believe. No matter what your faith or philosophy on life is, I firmly believe that you have the power to get through anything that life sends your way. I know times are difficult and sometimes you just want to give up and quit. Goodness me, I know I’ve felt that way too many times to count, but in the end I just had to believe that I would get through the tough times. And guess what? I did. I’m still here. It wasn’t always graceful or pretty, but I’ve made it through…and I believe you can too.
If and when you face tough times perhaps you can keep some of these things in mind. When life decides to throw those seemingly impossible challenges your way it’s all the more important to simplifize your life. Don’t be afraid to say no, to re-prioritize, to take a break. It’s ok. Ok to breathe…to simplifize…and to believe.
{ 1 trackback }