What I Learned | Spring 2017
The lovely Emily Freeman (author and blogger) hosts a fun writing prompt where we can all share the things we've learned in that season. I joined in last time and loved the experience and I'm excited to participate again this week.
Here's what I learned this spring.
Sometimes good things must come to an end.
It's hard to see good things leave our lives, especially when they feel right or that they are intended for us. I've learned on more than one occasion that often they aren't the best thing for us and need to out of the way to make room for what really is intended for us. Just like everything in life, there are seasons and sometimes even the good things go out of season.
Vulnerability finds a deeper connection than a closed heart.
I started the new year out with a promise to myself that I would only write here on the blog if my message came from my heart. It hasn't always been easy to crack myself open and share the things that are within me, but I've stuck to this promise I made. While being vulnerable is rarely comfortable, it does get easier with time and when you show your true self in the words you share, others grab onto that truth and share their own stories. That connection is so worth allowing yourself to be vulnerable.
True friends will always be there no matter how much time passes between texts or phone calls.
I have been blessed with some of the best friends a girl could ask for, many of whom are long distance. I sometimes feel like a terrible friend because I don't keep up with them as much as I would like but I've come to learn they often feel the same way. When it boils down to it, true friends will always be there when it's important, no matter how much time passes between check-ins.
I feel so much better when I'm not eating sugar and carbs.
I know... you're thinking, "where have you been?" but I'm now seeing evidence to this argument even though I've known this to be true for years. I can do without the refined sugar. My struggle is pasta and rice and bread. Being a gluten-free, super-tasting pescatarian, I'm limited on what I can eat already. My diet comprises of fish, fruit, and vegetables, and a big portion of my meals used to contain carbs. They were healthy carbs like brown rice, but still carbs, and I felt like crap for weeks after consuming them. Now that I've cut these things out of my diet, I'm feeling (and looking) better.
That old saying "If you love it, let it go" rings true.
It goes like this: If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be. Last summer, I let go of my something, thinking it was one of those forever goodbyes, but just a few weeks ago, it came back. It leaves no doubt in my mind that this is God's nudge in a decision I've been praying over for months and my heart is happy.
My divorce gave me strength rather than depression.
In February, after two years of separation and many more of unhappiness, the end of my marriage was finalized. I've been expecting it for over a year but was afraid it would throw me into a deep depression when it finally came. Fifteen years of my life dedicated to someone who didn't always treat me right and it came to an end in a thick envelope from a court clerk, the week of Valentine's Day nonetheless. Instead of getting depressed, though, I celebrated. I'd grown so used to leaning on someone all those years that I feared I was incapable of standing on my own two legs. Getting through this divorce process on my own made me realize how strong I am and I've never once given myself credit for that.
Every step I've taken has led me to where I am today.
I've made some bad choices in my life. I've taken the wrong path one-too-many times. I've followed impulse rather than intuition more than I'd care to admit. When I think about all the mistakes I've made in life, I start to cringe. Then I realize that every single step I've taken has led me to where I am at this very moment. Without those mistakes and wrong turns, I'd be a different person in a different situation and wouldn't have the blessings and the wonderful people and the amazing life experiences I have today. For this, I am grateful.
