How do you get over hurt?

I really am a positive person and try to see the good in everything.  Now, that doesn’t mean that I am sweet and kind all the time – as they say in Steel Magnolias “If you can’t say anything nice about anyone, come sit next to me.” – but I try to be happy.

So, since I once again missed the Wednesday blog posting schedule day and am posting on Thursday, I’m going to try something different this week.  I’m going to post something short every day, starting today.  I hope that it will be helpful to you.

A few years ago I went through a really tough time.  I felt like everything that I thought was true was false.  People who I trusted were suddenly against me.  I cried a lot.  I lost 10 pounds from the stress (of course, that was fine and yes, I have put it all back on.).

It was hell.

Ultimately, it all turned out for the best, but while it was going on, it was hell.

I got through it and I want you to know how.

I reached out to friends and family members who helped me.  You know who you are.  You are still in my prayers.  Thank you.

The other thing I did was look to some (for lack of a better word) “mantras” for life.  They have really helped me and I still look at them every day.  They are posted on a sticky note near my makeup area. 

Here’s the first:

I am safe.

Tune in tomorrow for number two.

P.S.  My #FundraisingFriday gift this week is for Campus Crusade for Christ.  One of our old employees and her husband are doing this work and I support them monthly anyway, and since I had to borrow money from my mom yesterday, they are this week’s donation!

The Complaint Game

My electricity went off at least 8 times last night.  At 106+ degrees in Dallas, I guess that is understandable. 

I will be writing a letter to the mayor to ask him to contact Oncor and whoever else is in charge of these problems to try to get this fixed.  My side of our block goes out every single time there is a weather-based emergency, and our neighbors across the street seem to stay on.  My mother’s house never goes out.  It is such a pain. 

I was on twitter and Facebook last night complaining to everyone who would listen about this injustice.  Complaining is, of course, the best part of the fun of enduring a “hardship” – it reminds me of my favorite line from Steel Magnolias – “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, come sit next to me.” 

Of course, I know that this power outage is nothing in the grand scheme of things.  As Americans, we have such a high quality of life compared to the rest of the world.  But if my neighbors across the street got to watch Hell’s Kitchen in its entirety, then damn it, I should get to too. 

Tell that to Lisa and Pete.  They are teens who have never had a stable home life.  They’ve been homeless many times.  They have moved around from foster home to foster home.  They have moved around from group home to group home.

Don’t you know that they see other kids at the mall with credit cards and designer shoes and think, if they can have that, why can’t I? 

Don’t you know that they see other kids at school with parents who care enough to attend the school play or the football game and think, why didn’t I end up with parents like that?

My electricity may go out again tonight, and I’ll still be complaining about it to whoever will listen.  But I also know that Lisa and Pete have got me beat.