Another birthday! Another Thanksgiving!
Birthdays are always a great time for reflections. So this time I stop to contemplate how much life has changed over the last decade, specifically from 2007 to 2017! I may as well have died and been reborn because the differences are nothing short of a miracle and fittingly the transformations were triggered and timed from the passing of my mother.
Ten years ago, in my 30’s, I can honestly say I believed life was about as over the hill as possible.
By 2008, I’d been in physical-therapy for three years without improvements. I stopped running because my knees got injured. I quit weight training because I pulled something in my vertebrae. I gave up on swimming lessons because I tore the tendons in my arms’ joints. Geez! I was physically falling apart!
Being a workaholic through most of my adult life, my sense of self was deeply entangled with my career. In my late 20’s, I'd already climbed up the corporate ladder, working as an executive at a reputable organization; but in my 30s, when I moved to Quebec, Canada, from the US, for my then husband’s job, my career was compromised. Due to the language barrier mainly, with French being the official language (which I didn’t speak), I had to step back and restart that climb. Grrr!!
My biggest frustration, however, was that I was feeling trapped and suffocated inside my loveless marriage. I desperately wanted out but unfortunately believed there was no escape from it.
Nothing felt ‘on track’! The winters were long, bitter and dark and then the language and politics of Quebec was even impacting my four year old son’s life negatively; he was getting bullied in school for not being a Francophone native. URGH!
2008 December- Things turn with the sudden and unexpected passing of my mother. I got jolted awake to reality check time!
2009- I quit my job. I moved back to the US. I got divorced. I finally started learning to live life on my terms and without excuses. Everything healed- my body, my heart and my spirit. I was rewarded further- with many fun adventures and with meeting inspirational people at every step.
Initially I struggled with how this impacted my kid but I could see that he too was doing better soon enough. I realized that if I don’t pick up my own pieces, then in the long run, my kid would have to.
2013- I started this blog to share my ongoing lessons in life as I awakened to the many simple truths which have led me to the life I live and love.
2016- just when I thought I couldn’t wish for more, I went on to meet and marry the love of my life. In fact, every year over the last decade, has delivered exponentially, grander blessings than the ones prior. I continue to be in awe of my journey, not only the present but no longer regretting my past either.
So here are my thoughts about that outdated idea of life perceived as a single strenuous climb uphill, to a fickle peak, followed by a stumble down a mundane path thereafter….THAT’S HUMBUG!!
Life is, in fact, a series of endless possibilities; It has not one but many hills and mountains, several valleys, rivers, peaks and summits; and every step of our journey is miraculously leading up to more inexplicable and profound new adventures. So gear up! Fill your backpack with your greatest dreams and hopes! Do not get stagnant on your path!
When you think you’re over the hill, know that as long as you live, your options are limitless. Trek as many hills as you wish, until you find what your heart desires. Know that the map is inside you. Unlock it! Your life’s journey is a gift! Choose to explore it until you absolutely love where it takes you!
