By Mavis Jackson @MsMavis09
Greetings Readers!
It is indeed an honor and a privilege to be afforded the opportunity to share with you in Hurt2Healing.
Since the last time I wrote, I underwent triple bypass surgery and have been blessed to have a mostly uneventful recovery. However, in that recovery, I definitely have to undertake the task of turning what many consider a negative into a positive in my life. Of course, the first positive I must acknowledge is that God allowed me to make it through that surgery. Though it produced a major disruption in my life, it has given me a new-found appreciation for the things we all take for granted; such as walking unassisted, preparing my own meals, driving myself to destinations, consistent and painless breathing, and just being able to do what we consider “normal life activities”. Needless to say, this occurrence was a “setback” for me physically, financially, and professionally, but I also think it can be a setup for me to make a strong comeback.
I read an article in another magazine that talked about learning the “bounce”. What they said was that in life we need to learn the bounce so that the harder we fall, the higher we are able to “bounce back”. It encouraged us to shift from looking at it as a setback to looking it as a lesson learned. There are many famous people who experienced setbacks and turned it into a setup and came back even stronger and more successful. So if I want that result, I have to maintain that attitude. My attitude while in the storm will determine the results I get when I come out of it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have my share of moments of being overwhelmed. Yet, I acknowledge them, experience them, and then I get back on the positive track as soon as possible. I don’t choose to wallow in self-pity or have that “poor me” attitude. I remind myself how blessed I am and stop adding up my problems to start counting my blessings!
Sometimes God allows negatives to happen in order for us to appreciate the positive when it comes. I look at my situation as some needed “down time”, and an opportunity to revisit where I am headed in life. We may need help turning in a new direction; and many times the best direction we can look is inside ourselves. Times of self-reflection can be some of the most precious times we have, so we need to take full advantage of them. One of my favorite quotes is, “A lot will happen in life, both negative and positive; and if we don’t take the time to learn from both, we may miss a chance to grow”.
Even in the midst of having to make major changes in my lifestyle and other life-altering circumstances, I can choose to see a rainbow while I am in this storm. The first color in my rainbow is as bright as the sun, because I am alive. If I can find nothing else to be grateful for, I just look around and see that I am still waking up on top of the dirt; and as one of my sons likes to point out “everything else is negotiable”. The other colors of my rainbow include being able to walk, talk, see, feel, hear and have some days without pain. When I see others who have positive attitudes in spite of not having these abilities, I remind myself that I have nothing to complain about. So I choose to have the attitude that I may be in a storm right now, but the rainbow is just over the horizon
There is always a rainbow after the storm, but we must learn to discipline ourselves to keep our eyes on an image of that rainbow while in the midst of that storm.
Peace & Blessing to you all!
Ms. Mavis
