Thought this would be a good time to have some real talk, especially since the holidays are here and it’s nice to have a moment to just step back, reflect, and clear your mind. The holidays are a time to enjoy each moment with friends and family, listen to music that makes your heart beat for excitement, and sitting in front of a warm fireplace. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it was like this all year round?
As some are able to have that same experience, there are others who are not. Daily we are constantly reminded of what is happening around the world. As what we might see a perfect life, behind closed doors it’s a different story. Struggles are real. Some are for a limited time, and for others it’s a daily routine.
If you know of someone going through hardships, or even yourself…I’m hoping this will inspire you in some form or another. Even if it’s for a brief moment. But know that you have made it this far for a reason and that you’re a lot stronger than you think.
I’ve had my fair share of struggles. So many that I have lost count. But if I were to sit down with you and go through each one, there might be no end. Struggles are a continuous in many different ways…either big or small. It’s the one thing that will tend to creep up every now and then, more so when you think everything is finally in order. As the saying goes, “don’t get too comfortable.”
There was this one particular moment a few years back, when I was faced with something I tried to avoid for such a long time. I wasn’t ready for reality to set in, because if I were to accept it, then everything and even time I invested would have been a waste. I felt that acknowledging it would somehow make me feel like a failure. But one day, the moment finally arrived and it hit my life harder than I thought it would. Sometimes, you hope that somehow time will decide to extend itself, but you only realize that time will continue with or without your approval. Time is precious and it’s the one thing you can never get back.
Within the first few days, I decided to take a trip to the beach (which here we call the coast). I needed to get away for at least a few hours to just reflect on the situation around me. Whenever you’re going through a tough time, do something or go somewhere that brings you peace. For me, it’s being outside in nature…and if there is a body of water in front of me or at least some beautiful scenic view, even better.
I was walking along the beach line, not knowing or considering how far I was going to walk. But I focused on a large rock and decided that would be my stopping point. Once I reached to my “final” destination, I stopped and sat down while facing the waves coming towards me. I wasn’t sure whether to stay silent and take in the view, or actually take the moment to reflect. I decided to do something I was trying to avoid because I knew of the way it was going to make me feel, as I was trying so hard to be strong. But I gave in, and decided to speak to God.
I recapped my situation to HIM, assuming that somehow HE didn’t know already. I began speaking to HIM as if HE was next to me. I let out everything that I was feeling inside and had even questioned everything. I had asked for guidance and had wondered if I was going to make it through. Towards the end, I had asked for a sign…some kind of sign to let me know that everything would be OK.
Once I felt that I had said everything I wanted to say, I got up and began walking back. In that same instant, I had caught something red on the sand. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was from where I was standing, but my curiosity decided to walk towards it. When I got closer, I saw that it was a red rose. A perfectly, healthy looking, red rose just laying on the sand. There was no one in sight and I did not see this during my initial walk. It was literally just a few steps away from my path.
The moment I saw it, the first thing that came in my mind was, “this is the sign.” I began to cry. Finding a perfect, red rose on the beach with no people around was the most random thing that could have happened to me. I picked it up and I felt in my heart this is what I had asked for and it was answered. Everything did end up being OK…took some time, but eventually it did.
I still have that exact same rose next to my window. It’s the one thing I can never find it in my heart to get rid of. During any difficult moment, I look at it and remind myself that the storm will pass and things will be OK again. That I am not alone and in time the true reason will present itself.
Struggles will always come around, but you have to remind yourself that they won’t last. There is a way for everything and nothing will be given to you that you cannot overcome. As difficult as it may be and even feel, you have to remain strong. You have made it here this far, so you are strong enough to continue along. Obstacles can only make a person stronger and each one will only prepare you for the other.
Don’t ever let nothing or no one get you down. At the end of the day, you are what you have. Life has a funny way of working out, and at times, it can lead you to where you’re supposed to be. Everyone wants to get to the destination, but you have to go through the journey to get there. It’s not always going to be easy, but all the good things in this life never is. As much as we want to control things, we cannot. We have to let go and let life happen.
How many times have we said, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for this or that. I wouldn’t be the person I am now if it wasn’t for this or that. This or that lead me to where I am now. This or that lead me to the people I have in my life now.” Almost every bad situation has lead us to something good. Every terrible thing in my life has lead me to meet and know the people I have in my life now, has lead me to new places, and has brought better things in my life. I would never think of this during the difficult moment…but over time you do realize that almost every bad thing has given you something better in one form or another. It’s a new direction, one that can be scary as hell, but yet somehow you end up being grateful once you discover the reason why.
Just think of all of the possibilities that are waiting for you. A new relationship? A new career? New friends? A new place? Exciting & unforgettable memories? Maybe even inspiring someone’s life. Someone out there might even need your help, but how will you know if you don’t keep walking? It could even be a lesson. It might even be a reminder of how strong you really are and how much stronger you can be.
Things will end up being OK. It won’t happen overnight, but you cannot lose faith no matter the situation. Take a walk, go somewhere, listen to the song that gives you strength, or hold onto an object that reminds you to keep going. Storms don’t last forever…you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain and you can’t have light without darkness.
“Whatever life throws at you, even if it hurts you, just be strong and fight through it. Remember, strong walls shake, but never collapse.”