Dance in the rain!

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain!"

I absolutely love a good quote and when I come across one that makes me smile I feel the need to blog about it or post it somewhere in my house.  With this one, I did both!  

This morning I woke up feeling a little blue.  The weather was gray, the hubby was away for work and yesterday I had to undergo a "not fun" medical procedure... eeekkk!!!!  I was in such a glum mood I decided the only way to shake it was to get out of the house and do something.  I called my sister to see what she had planned for the day.  We decided to go watch my niece at gymnastics and then head to our favourite lunch spot, the Degroot's Teahouse.  It was a great little afternoon.  After saying my goodbyes to family and friend's who joined us, I headed into Degroot's for a look.  Right when I walked in I came across a picture with a quote on it.. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; It's about learning to dance in the rain!"  I instantly smiled and proceeded to buy the picture.. haha. 

The quote says a lot about life and how we conduct ourselves in the good times and the bad times.  Yesterday when I was undergoing this horrific procedure, I almost fainted when it was over with.  I said to the doctor that I felt silly considering it was a routine in and out procedure.  He said to me, "Whitney, nothing in life is routine."  I thought about that for a long time after I left and couldn't agree with him more.  Everyone expects life to be easy and when a lemon is thrown our way, we get upset and we don't always deal with it in the best way possible.  

But we have to remember that life isn't always routine and sometimes it storms.  Instead of stopping our lives, we should embrace every moment, good and bad.  Life is unpredictable and can be scary.  But if you can learn to dance in the rain every so often, life will be that much more enjoyable.  

Save a life!

Life throws us curve balls and tests us and keeps us on our toes.  Many of us have the coping mechanisms to deal with these challenges, but some of us struggle to find the courage to face them.  Mental health plays a crucial part in this equation.  In the past two years, Sarnia has seen close to ten teen suicides.  For whatever reason, these young people felt that they could not handle the stress of life's challenges and decided the only way was to say goodbye... This breaks my heart.  Life for a teenager is hard enough as is, let alone adding bullying and mental health.  Something HAS to be put in place to help these students cope with life.  They need to know that it gets better and there are available outlets to help them.  We need to provide these outlets within the schools.  I truly believe that every school should have full time counsellors and that it should be MANDATORY that every student sees them at least once a week.  By incorporating it into students schedules, no one feels singled out or embarrassed to seek the help.  

I also believe that we all have the power to help.  Reach out to someone if they seem down.  Give compliments to strangers.  Hold doors open.  Smile as you walk by someone.  Talk to the people around you.  I believe that we have the power to save a life!  I remember the story of the little boy who took all his books home from school one day.  On his way home, he trips and drops them all.  Another boy helps him collect them and walks them home with him.  That day, a life was saved!  The boy who cleaned out his locker had no intention of waking up the next day.  But a simple gesture convinced him that his life was worth living.  

Be kind to people.  Go out of your way to give a compliment.  Tell the people around you, how important they are to you. Life is fragile but love and support can be the glue to keep it from shattering.  Be someones hero!  Save a life!

Be the FLAMINGO!!

"I am a flamingo in a flock of pigeons."

Society has moulded our minds to believe that if we don't dress a certain way, talk a certain way, or act a certain way, than we are not "normal".  But who has the right to make those kinds of decisions.  Is there one person out there who dictates how one is to dress, talk, and act?  I don't think so.  I think it is up to us to make the decisions about how we want to conduct OUR lives.

Do we live in a world that tricks us into thinking one way or another?  Of course we do!!  Social media, television, movies, magazines, etc..  All these outlets brainwash us into thinking a certain way.  These outlets shape our minds and tweak our views..  Crazy to think someone can have that much power over our thinking.

Did I buy my Nike Livestrong shoes because the commercial made me think I would run faster and gain a six pack just from wearing them??  You bet!!!

Did I start drinking Monster Rehab because on the label it describes a Las Vegas pool party and who doesn't want to be a part of that????  YUP!!

Do I look in the mirror and point out my many "imperfections" because television has told me that if i'm not 100lbs or less, I am "average"???  EVERYDAY!!

I would like to say I am not a victim of this world, but I am... It really is hard not to be.

I look back to my high school days, a time where we are self conscious, scared, and just wanting to be "normal".  During this time though, I was the complete opposite.  I remember when I owned Spice Girl platform shoes, a bright blue furry jacket, and florescent orange pants, which I wore all at the same time and was convinced I looked good. HAHA!  Now looking back I think, "How the heck did I think that was cool?".  But not only did I think I looked good, I felt good.  I didn't care what people thought and I think because of this, no one really thought much of my hideous outfit.  At least to my knowledge I never heard a negative comment.  At that point in my life, I was a flamingo!  I didn't care what people thought and I had my own style.

My goal of this post is to find the flamingo in me again and to ask that each person who reads this, finds their flamingo.  It is easy to be the pigeon and blend with everyone else.  But it is liberating to come out and be your own identity.  Show the flamingo in you!  I dare you! ;)