Food For Thought

I went to the store today (riveting, I know). I’ve been having a rough week and crying non-stop for days. I’ve been feeling like a complete failure and have been overwhelmed with a ton of negative emotion. With that said I took a walk. I got my free Starbucks Holiday Cup (YAY!), people watched the teens in my town (always entertaining) and ran to go pick up some household essentials I needed.

As I walked through the toy aisle mulling over a coloring book for my daughter (not on my shopping list), a store employee who looked just as thrilled as I felt, turned to me and said “hello”. I responded back and said, “hi, how are you?” He looked up at me and said, “Hey, I’m alive right? So I can’t complain” and gave me a smile.

It nearly stopped me in my tracks for a few reasons. First off, it was the last thing I expected to hear from him since, like I mentioned, he looked less than thrilled to be in the toy aisle of a Dollar General. It was also something I needed to hear. I needed one simple statement to help me get out of my own way, even for a moment. For as long as I can remember my brain has always made me focus on the negative…ALWAYS. I forget to see the silver lining or believe that things will be ok, when in the moment they are not.

Life is hard and shit happens, but I’m healthy, alive and can take care of my daughter. I know it won’t be easy, but I need to keep reminding myself IT WILL BE OK. I’m a fighter and will keep fighting.

AND SO ARE YOU! Don’t let any negativity beat you. Stay strong MAMA, because YOU ARE A FIGHTER!

A huge thank you to the Dollar General employee who shed just a little bit of light on my day and hopefully now yours. :)