Goodness gracious, what hasn't happened in my life in the past couple of weeks? My boyfriend's father and little brother were struck by a car while driving a motorcycle, which left both of them in intensive care on Father's Day. My boyfriend's father lost part of his leg, and his little brother's entire right leg was completely shattered. He got to keep his leg, thank God, but he now has rods and plates in his leg and will have multiple surgeries for the rest of his life. It is a miracle that their brains and nervous systems are okay, especially since my boyfriend's father's helmet ejected off immediately. When we got the phone call about the accident, life momentarily stopped. Nothing, and I mean nothing else mattered.
Moments like that are what life is all about. They are the backbone of who we are as individuals, and they come to define us all, and the way we live our lives, to different extents. It's great when life is good and happy, and we all love being happy, but it is the tough times and "bad" things that force us to grow, to change, to become stronger, and to remember what is most important in life. People are so scared of getting bad news, and I always have been too, but the bad things in life are what make us appreciate the good things so much more. The tough times force us to be stronger, to reevaluate how we have been living/acting, to slow down, and to accept how much we really do need other people. Life can be tough and it often makes us feel all alone in it, but we are never alone. I believe God is always with us, in us, and we all have family and friends that run to help. Quite often, bad things remind us how much other people care, and how much we really are loved. Most importantly, tough times and unfortunate circumstances remind us to be grateful for all the little things, for our health, for the family members and friends we do still have, for the ability to drive a car or workout, for the job we do have (however much we complain about it), and for the air in our lungs at this very moment. No matter how bad things are, there is always something to be grateful for.
Although my boyfriend's dad and little brother will spend the better part of their summer in a hospital bad, I am grateful that they are both still with us. I am grateful that for as terrible as the accident was, that it wasn't worse. I am grateful that their brains and spines are still in tact. I am grateful his little brother was able to keep his leg, and that his father was able to keep his knee. I am grateful that all the blood transfusions and surgeries went well. I am grateful that they will both recover and go on to lead full, happy lives. When my mom died of breast cancer, I was immediately overwhelmed by grief, loneliness, and fear. I was, however, also immediately grateful for the time I did get with my mom - 17 years. I knew that I would've rather had her for 17 years than any other mom for the rest of my life. Watching her battle with breast cancer and lose was the most difficult thing I have ever been through, but it has also made me so much more appreciative of the rest of my family, so much stronger, much more empathetic, and it also set my feet on a career path revolving around healing; healing from grief and other traumatic events, acceptance, forgiveness, self-love, and dealing with the tough stuff in life so it doesn't continue to hold us back for the rest of our lives. I believe this is what I was meant to do with my life, but I never would've discovered it if I wouldn't have lost my mom. My mom's death gave me my story and helped me discover my life's purpose. It changed my life forever.
I know how hard life can be, trust me, but it could always be harder. When bad things happen, try to focus more on the good than the bad. There is always SOMETHING to be grateful for. Try not to let fear, anger, self-pity, revenge, or grief settle so far into your heart and mind that you forget the lesson. Bad things always happen to teach us something. There is nothing my mom's death hasn't taught me. Similarly, there is also so much my boyfriend's family tragedy has reminded me of. I was complaining about how much my feet hurt lately (I have two running injuries and possibly rheumatoid arthritis as well), but last time I went out for a run I thanked God I had two feet to run on. Painful or not, I am grateful to have my feet. And when my legs started burning on a hill, I thought of his father and chanted his name to help me push through. I am grateful that I can run at all. We never know what tomorrow holds. Our lives can change forever in the blink of an eye. But rather than living in anxiety and fear of this, let it motivate you to live each day to the fullest, to let people you love know how much they mean to you, to try hard not to take the simple things for granted, and to to always appreciate and enjoy every moment, good or bad, because you never know how many more you have.
No comments:
Post a Comment