Today’s quote comes from Lara, a fellow blogger. She suffers from Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, and Interstitial Cystitis. And I fell in love with her writing…With permission, she allows me to share it with you today. Even if you don’t suffer with the pain and issues of these conditions, her words are powerful to every struggle:
“But I won’t give up. Not today. Not tomorrow. I’ll always fight my hardest to embrace my normal. To not let it anger me, but to let it empower me. Because what other choice do I have? Nada.”
It’s FRIDAY!!!!! Last night I had the pleasure of going to dinner with two very special EndoWarriors. One, Jenn, I’ve known for several years and we were friends long before I knew we were EndoWarriors. The second, Sara, who holds an incredibly special place in my heart. She and I first got together for dinner in January 2015…and our support group meetings stemmed from that initial meeting. Both ladies are incredibly strong and beautiful, inside and out.
And both were there for me yesterday when I needed them in a moment of pain. They are my own pillars of strength.
So today’s quote is a shout out to all of you who are pillars of strength, whether you realize it or not. Deeba Salim Irfan wrote,
“You make the world come alive. You make the world colorful. You are the inspiration behind all that happens. You are the pillar of strength to many around you, the centrifugal force of your own little world, called family. I love being a woman and celebrate being one everyday, hope you all do too!! And to all those who battle their various circumstances, the hurdles, the sacrifices and the compromises they make, wish them all inner strength!…”
Read it again. Take it to heart. And share it with others who may need to read it…
Today’s quote was inspired by what happened to me this morning…Catherine Gilbert Murdock once wrote,
“When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.”
This morning I was having my blood drawn for lab work. The nurse and I were talking about…I don’t remember what…oh, I had told her I recently had a CT scan and she asked what for. When I said, “Endometriosis,” she perked right up and started asking all kinds of questions, “Do you still have it? Where you able to get pregnant? Are you still in pain?” It turned out that about 30 years ago, she learned she had Endometriosis while living in the Phillipines, suffered the usual terrible symptoms, missed days off of school, etc. Her physician put her on a medication, which relieved her symptoms and took away her migraines. AND she also immediately was able to become pregnant. She’s one of the lucky ones whose symptoms subsided after having children.
But, if she and I hadn’t talked, I never would have learned about a different medication (which I’ll be researching), we never would have bonded over our common illness, and never would have shared stories.
It was awesome.
Never be afraid to talk about it (whatever it may be). Ever. Think of all the opportunities you’ll be missing out on if you don’t.
“Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”
At our support group meeting this week, we talked a lot about courage. Not only the courage to come to the group, and to find others going through the same thing, but the courage to challenge a doctor’s opinion, to seek another, to refuse medication (or even to accept it). The courage to move forward with a surgery or find alternative treatments. And the courage to move forward each day.
Tammy, this one’s for you. And thank you for being so amazing.
We made it to another Friday! Today’s quote is from Vironka Tugaleva. And it’s perfect.
“Yes, it’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to hesitate before plunging from your comfort zone.
It’s okay to have scars, pimples, insecurities, moles, cellulite, tremors, debts, redness, regrets, loneliness and uncertainty.
It’s okay to have no idea what you’re doing.
It’s okay to struggle with some things, while enjoying others. It’s okay to find joy in the beauty in life, even after a great loss. It’s okay to change. It’s okay to move on. And it’s okay to fear changing and moving on.
Wherever you are, and whatever you are experiencing, is okay. You didn’t invent the universe and you didn’t invent the human condition.
You don’t need permission to live whatever you’re living, even if it looks and feels different from anyone else’s life around you. And it’s okay to feel like you need that permission anyway.”
For those of you in the United States, the Fourth of July is just around the corner.
And for those of you who know me personally, you know I love me some fireworks. Over the past several years, I’ve had the pleasure of working on the pyrotechnics crew (Pyrospectaculars) for the City of El Cajon’s Fourth of July show. I work with some incredibly hard working and hilarious men. We get up at the buttcrack of dawn to build and set up the guns, place and wire the product, go through dry runs, set up one hell of a show, light up the skies, and work long after the fireworks have gone off to clean up the mess we made.
It’s Friday! And today’s quote is about moving on. Steve Maraboli once said,
“Don’t let the agony, regret, or fog of yesterday blind you to the fact that each new day carries with it a plethora of opportunities to move your life into the right direction.”
Bogged down with something? Try to let it go. Step out and onward.
“If the forest has a day of fire and the heat of the flames does not consume a special tree, it will still be changed; charred, but still standing.”
We’ve all been changed by our diagnosis in one way or another. Some find solace in knowing they’re not crazy; others embrace that they’re not alone. We can stand, together.
So I’m feeling a bit like Doing…not just Being. J’son M. Lee said,
“Existing is going through the motions of life with no zeal and feeling you have no control; living means embracing all that this large world has to offer and not being afraid to take chances. The beauty of living is knowing you can always start over and there’s always a chance for something better.”
Bloomin' Uterus 