When I looked in the mirror, what did I see? - scared, afraid, dim - yes, dim as in no light surrounding me. I was afraid of what I saw and did not recognize myself. All I could say at the time was: "What do I do right now to fix this?" Could it be fixed was more of the question when it came to my dimmed light - or better yet, my light was completely blown out.
Prayerfully and thankfully this is not the case now. This goes back a few years to 2009 where the roller coaster that I called my life took me on a ride that I would never forget. My father fell ill and passed away in early 2010 and the roller coaster ride that would take me all the way through 2015 with the break-up of my marriage. Those were very tough times back then and you add raising two children and a full-time job in the mix, there you have it - a light dimmed and snuffed out.
Right in the middle of this tough period in my life in 2013, I started writing and A Life With A View was born. I was afraid to put this all on paper but I felt that was the only way I could heal and be the smiling person that I once was before everything came crashing down. So, I began blogging. I would write and write - every chance that I could in between normal life stuff -- I would write. Sharing my story and being grateful that I was still here gave me meaning and purpose. I may not have made it without this and of course faith, prayer and my kids. It was only through the toughest of times where I fought hard to get my light back and remain surrounded by it.
You may be thinking: "This all sounds so easy; you got out of it pretty easily!" Not at all. It was like an iced over uphill battle with high heel shoes with no traction. I couldn't even run in place - I would stand there looking at myself and still fall backwards into the spiral of self-doubt and my dimmed light.
So how did I make it back and become better than ever? It took a lot of hard work and knowing that I am worth it in every way, shape and form. I had to first learn that my light is not to be dimmed and in order for me to shine in my own way, I had to own the things that happened to me, face the past, and embrace my many shining moments. Now, it was not all positive along the way - there were people that doubted me and still do to this day but as they say, I keep it moving. It still takes work for me as I am not the most shiny out there but I do love to write and I shine in my own way. So, that in itself has saved me and allowed my light to shine. Writing heals in many ways.
What about you? What makes your light shine? Never stop doing the things you love even through the storm. If you love writing, continue to write even if you keep those writings in your own personal journal. If you need help, reach out in your own way to other people or just one person. Embrace positivity and take in the things that make you shine. We are individually engineered to be our best and to shine in our own way so let's get to it!
