I’ve talked about my lifelong quest against that bitch named depression, but I wanted to focus on the seasons of our life in this post. I’m also very pleased to reveal the fourth and final hair photo of this year’s series with Kel-Z Photography! Behold straight and crazy hair, polka dots and lying on cobblestone at the Union Station in Ogden, Utah. Cobblestone, you say? Yep. And the answer is no, it is not comfortable, but it looks cool so who cares??
I often forget that there are seasons in my life, both
literally and figuratively, that I struggle with more than others. Transition and change is hard for me. I was
raised in a home with parents who valued roots and consistency. We were all about traditions in our family,
meaning we did the same things over and over every year for the holidays. That proved to be really challenging for me
as a young adult because I found myself being depressed because I was forced to
spend Christmas Eve alone or not be able to travel home to visit my
family. At some point I finally came to
terms with this fact: sometimes we have to do it alone and it’s OK. Christmas Eve alone didn’t last very long once
my family found out and I’ve since spent the holidays with my aunt and uncle
and cousins and am never wanting for company during Christmas.
Figuratively, seasons of emotional health come and go as well. When I was in organized therapy, there was
always this goal to complete the task.
Be done with weekly, bi-weekly then monthly visits. I felt like I could check off the box and be
done. Therapy – check, double check,
here’s my token t-shirt for the road.
However, I was taken aback when my therapist looked at me and said, “it’s
ok for you to come back if you need to.
We call them booster visits in this office.” I laughed it off because I thought I was
better than that. I had put in my time
and I was bustin out of this joint.
Wrong. Within a year, I was back
on the sofa with my shoes off and my journal open sharing some of my struggles
and getting my booster dose. I was and
still am eternally grateful for my Jennifer and her scrupulous note taking
about my jacked up life and even better emotional roller coaster at that
time. I still really hated my reality even
though I had just paid hundreds of dollars to get over the other set of crappy realities
in my life. Once I moved to Ogden, I
breathed a sigh of relief because I FINALLY felt happy, I loved my neighborhood
and I fit in. I could rest easier beause
my life was going to be EASY now compared to what it was in Salt Lake.
My days of unicorns, rainbows and clicking of red shoes in the ‘hood was numbered
and I soon had some struggles set in with work.
Wait, what? This isn’t supposed
to be happening. I just worked in hell at the last place, that can’t happen again. But, it sorta did. Ugh. I
pressed on and I took it as an opportunity to create sunshine in a season that
was turning out to be a really crappy situation.
Now fast forward to the last year. I talked about the journey it’s been in my last post, but I have really felt the seasons of life pass before me in ways
that I loathe and love. I’ve had some
life goals in my heart forever that I’ve been able to accomplish in the last
couple of months. Along with that I’ve cried some big tears over mistakes and
stupidity that appears to be a common denominator with me. It’s dumb.
I fell APART last week because my lady plumbing appointment, which was
grossly overdue, did not go as I had hoped.
I mean, how glamorous can anything with a paper gown and stirrups be? But, I’ve had super chill appointments in the
past and this one threw me off guard. I
lost my marbles in the bathroom and my boss found me. Oops.
New employee is a sniveling, imperfect mess. We talked long enough for me to stop sobbing
and I tried to recount what had happened.
What finally came out of my mouth was this, “let’s back up this train
and remember that I have just been through one of THE most stressful years of
my life and apparently I didn’t lose weight in stress this time around.” Le.
Sigh. My boss offered some really
consoling words about my worth and my beauty and I stopped crying and went back
to my desk. Can we all say it together, “DAMN
the seasons of life!” I was really
really upset for about 4 days because my waistline took the biggest hit
(besides my pride and my finances) during my unemployment ride. But, the best part of this is knowing that it
is only for but a small moment and I will be OK. I feel better this week, but holy hell, I was
one emotional girl last weekend.
Lame. I hate it when I’m the girl
that drives me the most crazy.
In conclusion I would like to share a really special video
with all of you. My co-worker’s wife
recently embarked on a project that will bring you to tears. It’s entitled, “1000 words: A Silent Interview on Self Worth” and it takes the
viewer on a journey of facial expressions and body language as a group of women
and girls are asked questions about their life and the seasons that come and
go. I could hardly believe the power and
hurt and emotion that came across as these women displayed their vulnerability. I have included the video below and I hope
you will take the time to watch it with all the women in your life, whether
young or old. The questions that are
asked are critical and they remind me that we do NOT give ourselves enough
credit, nor do we give others the benefit of the doubt that they might be in a
really shitty season of life.
The moral of the story:
Just like the leaves change and the snow falls from the sky, our lives
bring seasons of change that last for a small moment, but still bring beauty
and magic to our lives.
Until next time, my lovelies!
-R
-R
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