Have you ever heard the phrase “attitude is everything, so pick a good one”? I have this saying hanging in my kitchen and I call upon it every day. This past year has been one of the hardest years of my life. Every day seems to come with a new challenge that I must overcome. I could very easily be over taken by the blues, but I choose not to be. Here’s an example of what I mean by a challenge:
I ate steak and I ended up in the Emergency room. Sound crazy? Yes, but it’s true. Last week my sweet husband suggested we eat steak for dinner one night. I could feel that my body was craving iron so I thought “sure. Red meat is a great source of iron. I’ll just cut it up into tiny pieces and chew it beyond recognition and I should be fine.” I was wrong. My esophagus rebelled and started to swell. Over the next 36 hours it became so inflamed that I was having chest pains and difficulty breathing. I couldn’t finish a sentence without being out of breathe and I knew I was in trouble. The worst part was that by this point it was the middle of the day and I was home alone with my two year old son. I live in the country so I don’t have close neighbors, and my closest friend or family member was 30 minutes away. Not to mention that the last time we had to call 911 for an emergency at our house, the Fire Truck and Ambulance got lost while on their way. No joke. I was scared, but I did not want to scare my son. So I made a few calls and we played quietly on the floor while waiting for help to arrive. This could have been a terrifying situation and very easily turned into a negative one. Instead I choose to find the positive. What is it? You may ask. Well, I now know that steak is probably not a good option for me. When I feel like I need iron, I will blend up leafy greens and peas. More importantly though, I know what to do the next time I feel my esophagus start to swell and a tightness in my chest. Next time I will take a strong anti-inflammatory and an antacid, both in liquid form of course, and my symptoms should subside. No more ER visits for Danielle, let’s hope. This is just one example of life’s challenges that I faced recently. You may be having a challenge of your own that you are facing. It is very easy to become overwhelmed by life’s challenges. I get overwhelmed by my situation sometimes, but then I remember I have a choice. I may not have chosen this situation for myself, but I can choose my attitude about it. I could be sad and depressed and let it take over my life, but what good would that do? Then I would just be sad and depressed. I’ve been there before and that only makes it harder. Instead I choose to overcome. In whatever challenge you are facing right now, I hope you choose to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Find the good in every bad my friend, because the good is what keeps you going.
2 Comments
4/13/2015 06:49:09 am
This sounds horrible. I'm so sorry that happened to you. You are so right- the good is what keeps us going. We can' dwell on the bad in our lives. Stay strong!
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AuthorHi there! Welcome to Grace In A Glass. My name is Danielle and I am so happy that you are visiting this site today. We all have something in life that we are working to overcome. I began blogging about my struggle with overcoming Esophageal Dysmotility and Crohn's Disease with the hope of reaching others with words of encouragement and hope. Thank you for letting me share my stories with you, and hope you have the most wonderful day! Archives
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