I wrote this to my sister when she was feeling down and had a series of unfortunate events.
Dear Sis,
Of course! Yes, talking through things always helps. I think you are spot on when you say to relax a little and enjoy the ride. Try not to worry about the exploding toilet in your apartment. Someday, we will laugh about the circus people we have for a landlady and maintenance man.
Remember, things are always going to happen. Always. Toilets explode. Dogs get left out in the rain. Gardens don't grow. (Dangit!) It hails on your garden the minute you planted your last cucumber plant. Heaters die in the dead of winter. And so do my newly planted cucumbers. Ugh. Sisters fight. Jobs stink. Bosses belittle you. You get a cute, little puppy and that puppy chews all of your best shoes. Good friends get mad at you. Hurricanes destroy your yard the first month that you live in Florida. Your three-legged dog refuses to be housetrained. It snows during your half marathon. Cars run out of gas. Cars run into the backs of other cars. And all that other meaningless stuff...
BUT...in spite of it all...
Life is glorious and hilarious. You do the best you can. You love a lot and have a lot of people that love you. You have a wonderful dog! You are beautiful. You have a wonderful boyfriend! You are healthy. You are healthy. You are healthy. Nobody died. Nobody got sick. Nobody got hurt. You say you're sorry and everyone forgives and forgets. Guess what?...you can get another job. You couldn't get another breast...or heart...or leg. You can move. You can run. You can feel the sunshine. You can eat the wonderful cucumbers should they decide to grow! Life is good. Remember, it's natural to feel at times that everyone wants a piece of you. You will never live up to everyone's expectations. We all struggle and sense that we aren't going to be able to manage it all over an entire lifetime. But we do. Somehow. You will too.
And, most importantly, never forget to look around you and recognize all that you have. Around you. Most importantly, right in front of you. Then, appreciate it and exhale.
Love,
your sis
