November 7, 2023

In a perfect world, we would be prepared for everything life throws at us. But unfortunately, life hands out pop quizzes and mid-semester exams all the time.

It's the nature of the beast.

In school, you had an opportunity to sit and listen to a lecture or lesson before the teacher tested you.

But in life, the universe says:

"Your boss is about the fire you, your blood pressure is through the roof and you need a new roof on your house, that you can't afford. What are you going to do?"

Or, "Your dad had a domestic dispute with his girlfriend that resulted in her death--so he could spend the rest of is life in prison, but in the meantime while he's on house arrest, you need to be his Door Dash, Instacart, and Uber Driver (for free) when he goes to the doctor or to see his attorney--what are you going to do?! And how are you going to manage the rest of your life, that already felt unmanageable???"

In my humble--but very experienced opinion, it's possible to go the distance in spite of an unexpected test. After many life tests (that I aced--I might add); I would offer the following advice:

• Get therapy, at the height of my personal crises, I went as often as twice a week and kept my therapist on speed dial--just in case I had a mid-day breakdown.

• Cry it out, nobody expects you to deal with sadness without crying.

• Rely on your support system, yup--that's what they are there for.

• Believe in the value of the test, there is a lesson, testimony and victory that comes with each one.

• Don't rush the healing, it takes the time that it takes; but always remember that it will show up.

• Keep doing everything that works for you, I mean literally: dirty it up, wash, rinse and repeat until you feel restored.

There it is. I went personal in this blog, but I felt it was absolutely necessary to drive my point home. And guess what--this blog is part of my healing process. So thank you for being a part of my process and for your continued support.