Happiness in the midst of adversity

It's 11:00 am on Wednesday afternoon. My Wednesday's are pretty repetitive... But there is something in the repetition that brings me peace. I know that 1 day a week is always the same. Today is weigh-in-Wednesday. I attend my weight watchers meeting every single Wednesday at 11:30 and I cannot tell you the happiness it brings me every week. I am not ashamed to admit that life has been hard the past few months and yet if you look at my surrounds many would be envious of my life. I have the most incredible marriage, a perfect daughter and no financial stresses... But mentally and emotionally I've been at one of the lowest points that I can remember. My amazing mother keeps reminding me to look at all the blessings I have in my life and the past few days I have been doing exactly that. I have been consumed by this "funk" that I have been in, but now I'm starting to feel a change. I KNOW that the situations that are causing this funk are temporary. They are very real trials... But temporary none the less. It's interesting to me that it takes disconnecting yourself from strengths that have become weaknesses in order to connect with weaknesses that need to become strengths. 

I am slowly learning that happiness can be found in very challenging situation. During this weight loss process I have found great happiness while overcoming bad habits I developed while I was pregnant. I could have easily continued forward with those bad habits and justified my weight gain by saying "I just had a baby" or "my child is only one, I deserve a transition period". Where would that have gotten me???  Nowhere!  

I have been pondering a picture I found online several months ago. This picture has touched my soul and it constantly reminds me that there can be joy, even happiness in the hardest of life's transitions. 

There are many ways to look at this picture. You can obviously see that she has a long way to go to get to her goal and you can see that the weight is coming off tiny pieces at a time... But look at the expression on her face!!!  She is happy. This is a LONG process but she is slowly making strides toward the finish line. I love the smile on her face. She has a look of determination. 

The obesity she is chipping away at can represent so many things. Maybe it's an addiction or depression. Maybe your own personal battle is having patience with those around you. Changing does not happen overnight. It happens piece by piece. 

One of my biggest strengths is that I love to be a problem solver. When I was working, I felt a tremendous sense of pride when I was able to fix our computers or figure out how to make a clamp for a foley bag when a restless patient had destroyed theirs the day before supplies was being delivered. When someone in my family is having a problem I try to jump in (with my cape blowing behind me, of course) and give them one of my "I don't know why you didn't think of this already" solutions. I'm a fixer. I want everyone around me to be prepared for any situation. That strength has become a weakness bc I am becoming overwhelmed by others needs.  I open my mouth before thinking things through and before I know it I'm casting myself aside. Recently Paul and I were discussing this and after I rambled on and on about wishing I could do this or wishing I could do that for someone he looked at me and said "when have any of these people done this or that for you?"  That was when I realized I needed to make a change. My weakness is allowing people the opportunity to figure out life's problems on their own. This needs to become my strength. 

Over the past 12 months I have learned how to control my diet. I have gained so much confidence in myself and now I am working on filling myself with happiness. A few situation that constantly bring me down cannot be changed right now. BUT, they are temporary. At the opening of all dark caves there is light. The woman above is proof that there can be happiness in the middle of all adversity. 

EQ