Practice what you preach ;)

Just a few days ago I blogged about not letting the "storms" in life get the best of us!  But, then I totally contradicted my words and fell into a slump.. :s

Monday night, the actual storm that was brewing outside of my safe haven, ended up breaking through the walls... LITERALLY!!  The storm caused a lot of damage and stress... I tried not to let it get to me because after all it is just "stuff"!  But I think as the day went on and nothing seemed to go my way, I slowly started getting frustrated and feeling down in the dumps. It probably doesn't help that I haven't had a decent sleep in over a week.. life has been busy and roadblocks have been appearing more than usual. But then I realized that, although I have had some minor health concerns, I am ALIVE and well.  I feel ridiculous that I let myself get so stressed out about minor things when there are people in this world who are suffering much greater trials... During that storm, I lost a bedroom ceiling.. but some people lost their homes, cars, and even family members.

It's easy for us to get wound up in our own little bubbles and convince ourselves that it's the end of the world when one thing doesn't go our way... It's especially easy when you are going on little sleep... But who wants to live their life being depressed over something that in time will be nothing... I, for one, do not!  Although I had a rough couple days, I am not going to let that bring me down and affect the life I am blessed with.  It is not worth it!  So to the people who had to be around me the last couple days, I am sorry!  I'm sure my silence, irritability, and shortness was not a pleasure to be around!  I promise to bring back the girl who doesn't stop smiling!  :)  Life is too short not to be happy.. not even for one day!  

It Happens...

Cozy fire, glass of red wine, a chick flick, and a crazy storm brewing beyond the walls of my safe haven... A perfect night for catching up on blogging!

Hurricane Sandy has made herself known.  Even in my small town we are feeling the effects.  Crazy winds, lots of rain and power outages... the storm is definitely here!  A while back I wrote about a quote I had seen.. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."  Although I have NO intentions of going outside and busting a move, I am reminded once again how life can get a little crazy and we need to be able to step back and appreciate the good things...

Life is so unpredictable just like the weather.  We can have a plan for our future but we can't plan for the unpredictable events that lead our lives down new paths.  A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to see a friend speak about an event that changed his life.. drastically!  He is the most admirable person I have EVER met. I look up to him in so many ways and he makes me strive to be a better person.  His speech made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt and also cry to the point where I couldn't breathe.... This person took a tragedy and instead of letting it define him, he kicked it's ass and didn't let it get in his way of living.  During his speech, he talked about how a community came together to help him and his family... I think this says a lot of who he is as a person... Before his accident, he touched many people's lives and now he is changing lives everyday by his courage and strength.    

After tonight, lives will be forever changed by this storm... not necessarily in my small town, but cities which are in direct contact are going to to see and feel the devastation.  As much as we want to control and plan for our future, we have to remember that anything can happen and it's how we deal with it that defines us...  

Be thankful for every day you live, for every day is a gift and an opportunity... Seize these opportunities and don't let them pass you by... You never know what tomorrow is going to bring!