Remember the Good

Most days are good. Great even! But a few days are a little harder to face. Challenging, frustrating, uninspiring, and even depressing.


I used to lean on....myself. And that was it. I didn't want to put anyone out. Didn't want to add to anyone else's tough day. Yes, I know, internalizing struggle is the quickest way to NOT overcome it. But when hardships come, it's easy to run back to my comfort zone. Internalize and disappear...

Without going into specifics today is one of those challenging days.

Instead of just dealing with it alone, I called Steve for support... To help guide me through it. He's sensitive, smenshative. 

We came up with several solutions:

1) Get my butt back in the gym
2) Set expectations of those asking for unreasonable things
3) Breathe
4) Because S. is in California, start scheduling dinner dates with girlfriends, and those I see as mentors
5) Again, get back in the gym
6) Be kind with myself
7) Take one hard task on at a time
8) Start writing again
9) Be grateful for a good life every single day

So far, I've accomplished #3.

The purpose of this particular post will be #8 and #9.

Some of you know, I ran a program at Thunderbird in October to train Haitian women entrepreneurs. I really do believe I learned more from them, than they did from us!! 

These women were amazing, loving, fun, inspirational, and fighters. They have fought for their successes their entire lives. The earthquake in 2010 devastated their country, their businesses, and infrastructure. But not their spirit... 

One of my ladies, who claims to be over 100 (!!!), has run her nursing school for the last 30 years. She's amazing in her own right, a professor, a nurse, and a community caretaker. Her school was three stories high, and when the earthquake hit, her students were in school and she was teaching. The school absolutely collapsed, burying her, killing 100 students and her own son. Can you imagine? I cannot. 

Hard to see, but the left was her nursing school before the earthquake. The right is her collapsed building.

She may steady herself with a cane, but she has the biggest and brightest personality in the room. She dances whenever music is on, laughs, and wants to share her story. She has since moved classes to pop up tents in a local park, and once she recovered, continued to teach. She humbles me to no end. 

Steve and Madame Salomon dancing to country music. She loved it!!!

Those kind of stories from my ladies are sadly frequent. What inspires me is their tenacity, their resilience, and happiness. Who am I to whine???

Life is good. I have little to complain about, and a lot to be thankful for. Next on my list is #7. Back to work...