“I’m happy with how I did that today.”

It’s been a long year for all of us. I know I’m not alone in that, but this past couples of months have been especially hard for my family and my “extended family”, and maybe I’m not alone in that either, but I know it’s hard for us not to feel isolated when sad things happen.

My uncle passed away this morning. They still havent found my friend Zeb since going missing while duck hunting several days ago. I am at a loss for words and most times it takes everything in me to hold myself together, but I know that in time, life will go on, hearts will heal and heaven will be waiting for us all.

I have been working with the elderly for the past month and a half and working with this part of the population is particularly rewarding for a young person. You are faced everyday with the challenge of seeing what awaits you in the future, and gives me this insurmountable gratitude for what I can still do now, especially physically, but even mentally, too sometimes. We always take so much for granted. We take time for granted, we take our bodies for granted, we take each other’s lives for granted, not realizing that even the next breath isn’t always guaranteed.

So my challenge for you today is... be glad with what you did today. Was there someone you needed to see ? Was there someone you needed to call? Did you have plans with friends but a more pressing matter with your family cropped up? Did you tell everyone you loved them? Did you hug them tight when you said goodbye? Did you treat people with kindness? Did you apologize after that fight?

And most importantly, when the day is done and you’re sitting in your bed reflecting back on the day you’ve had the fortune of living... can you honestly say to yourself, “I’m happy with the day I lived today, the decisions I made, the people I spent my time with” and if you don’t like any of the answers to those questions.. the solution is simple.... change them. Your current circumstances don’t have to be a death sentence, as long as you’re a live you still have time to change things.

It took me a long time (and I’m still learning) that nothing is permanent, and as humans we have an aversion to change, but we must learn to adapt and overcome. We must learn, that life goes on, with or without our consent.

I was sitting with my daddy last night, and we were just talking about life. He was telling me about his brother, my dad is a pretty stoic man, so he wasn’t crying, even though I know he’s hurting. We just sat and talked about life and how, life is truly what you make it. I told him I hate how I’m so emotional and cry all the time, he said sometimes I wish I cried more. It’s funny how I never thought that maybe someone who was the opposite of me could wish they had the ability of what I sometimes take for granted. I told him, and I’m telling you now, about this precious little lady I got to treat and how we were talking about family one day and she was asking all about mine and I told her to keep mine in her prayers bc my uncle is very sick, and I just started full on bawling, I couldn’t help it. It just started flowing out of me, and I told her I was so sorry for derailing her treatment session with my tears and she grabbed My little hand and said “Don’t you ever apologize for your tears. Tears are a beautiful gift and you should never feel sorry for shedding them” and in that moment, I finally realized that after 31 years of wishing I wasn’t so emotional, it’s really just a gift God gave me, and not a burden, I guess sometimes it takes what it takes for us to learn those lessons in life, but all that to say, we should all be grateful for the way we were put together/designed, nothing is a mistake and even if there are some people who don’t appreciate that thing about you, well they’re just not your people. And on that note I’m going to leave you all with a bless you and I hope when you lay down in your bed tonight, you can honestly say to yourself. “I’m happy with how I did that today.”

All my love.

Until next time,

Mishako