The Silver Lining | Getting Through Hardships
Discussing The Silver Lining that comes from hardships and offering encouragement for those facing hard times.
Each day begins the same, only with the tiniest of changes brought on by the passing of time. I am up early with the help of my dog who routinely paces my bedroom floor to let me know he’s ready to go out. His clicking paws are too much to ignore for long and so I am up.
Currently, it’s fall here so the opening of the back door is met with cold air soon to be mixed with rain. That I am especially not looking forward to. I arrive at the back of my property and hear the chickens clucking impatiently, wanting the coop door open. All at once, I have the little herd at my feet wanting the food I have brought.
Once fed, I head back to the house and it’s the dog’s turn for breakfast which he knows all too well. The much-needed coffee gets brewed, and the house is quiet now.
This is my time to write, read, or just sit in the quiet.
It is my favorite time of day.
A time that feels me with gratitude for this beautiful life. The day ahead is mixed with homeschool activities, gardening, cooking, cleaning, real estate, and writing. It’s usually a full day, but a good one. I remember a time not so long ago when my life was much more chaotic and stressful.
We had all sorts of financial and personal issues that seemed to come out of nowhere. I felt overburdened most days, a feeling not missed. I stopped dreaming, and I settled into a life of living on auto-pilot and problem-solving mode. There was a lot of love in our home and surely that was what kept me sane in those days.
The craziest thing about life is that it can change instantly where the life we once knew so well is suddenly stopped. It takes on new directions often without asking us first. Life does not wait for us to be ready simply. Because it knows that time will never come.
One thing is certain, we humans don’t like change. We get comfortable, form habits, and fear being set off from what we have grown to know. All too often it seems our decisions have nothing to do with real happiness but only the comfort that we seek. And so life dares to push you from these places.
Many times it’s through tragedy or a loss of some kind that required you to grow and force you to act.
If you are strong enough to push past these hard moments you will find inner strength and gratitude for life that somehow wasn’t there before. At that time, I was then married to my late husband, David. A man that changed me for the better and was a tremendous gift to my life. His death was a loss that I cannot even put into words. It shattered our lives in an instant. Yet at the very same time, revealed to me who I really was. What I had in me to endure.
The Silver Lining
Maybe one day write I will write about that but in the hopes of keeping this a lighter post, it won’t be today. I mention it only for those that go through tough moments now and need a bit of encouragement. Let it be proof that storms pass. That there is a silver lining even through the worst tragedies we face.
One thing that I know for sure is that you have to appreciate the hard places you find yourself in. Even when it means the death of a loved one. So whatever position you find yourself in as you read this I want to encourage you to dream. Even of small things. Write them down, feel them, and imagine them happening for you in your mind’s eye.
Take small steps towards them daily if you can. Allow yourself to feel the fear of those steps as you take them but decide to do them anyway. The courageous people you see in life are not free from fear. They just do not let it stop them.
No matter what life’s hardship you might find yourself in, always ask yourself. What do I want in life? The answer to this question will often keep you going. If you can somehow manage to take tiny steps toward them, it will be a step in the right direction.
I dream of a beautiful garden that feeds us, completing my cookbook, and continuing to live a simple life as much as possible.
But mostly, to live a life of beauty and share it with others.
*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no cost to you).
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