Keep Breathing

What's going on? Eh, not too much. Cousin diagnosed with leukemia. Puppy getting sold (She's been recently introduced to a shock collar, too.) Autistic brother lost his job. People fighting and arguing around you. School starting again. Trying to work a website for my mother's cousin, but the program broke down and the deadline is getting closer. Summer homework pressure. Dance is taking a complicated step... Had to quit piano. After the major company my mom worked for fell through, my mom is just designing on the side. For neighbors and old clients. Self employed. Sort of.

Yeah, not too much really. I know you can't really tell, but my tone is absolutely 100% not bitter. If anything, it's amused. These things happen. I fully understand that.

But even though sometimes things like to get in the way of life, clogging up our flow and lifestyle, we need to keep breathing. Keep going. Press on. We can be desperately confused, sad, or even livid about how things turn out. But these feelings block us up even more. Anger, envy, and vengeance are all emotions that hurt the people around us, while poisoning us from the inside as well. It's important that we don't let them get inside us, and start to instead detach ourselves from the feeling. Look from a non-biased, positive third party on the situation. Are your trials truly somebody's fault?

This is the part where you breathe. Don't look necessarily towards the future. Just focus on now, if it's too hard. Not only live past this moment, but strive. While you're down, see the others around you who may just be facing a situation as well. Even in the smallest and seemingly unnoticable ways, help them, as you would like them to help you.

This isn't some kind of preaching talk. It's not a lecture to you to be better, or else. I'm just trying to share my experiences. These things have really worked on me. Of course, I still fail at my own stuff sometimes, but that's why we even go to church, or serve others, or forgive. To get better.

Now, when I take stock of my recent dealings of cards, I can see the silver lining of everything. Even though my mom doesn't have a full time job anymore, she's actually at home. I don't think she's been like this since I was.... at least two. Since the divorce. It's crazy weird, how you normal people live. And my step-dad got a promotion at the U, so that's good. I'm also getting some really great dance.......opportunities that I'm not supposed to really talk about, so that helps the pain that I might have to quit someday soon. Also, if my mom is really getting rid of my dog (which she is, see ksl.com) then my step-dad and I are pushing that I might be able to get a baby rabbit of guinea pig. Not everything, but some things are looking up. If you keep your eyes open, and in the right place, you can see the small miracles around you. They're the acorns buried in the ash of a forest fire.

Just trust me, when it gets hard. Keep breathing. Even when it's all you can do, it's still the best thing you can do.