Do what you can, with what you have, where you are...

How is it possible we are already in December and less than three weeks before Christmas???  Time has flown by, not necessarily in the best way, but it is still my favorite time of the year no matter what.

This has been one of the most intensely stressful and challenging times of my entire life and I honestly didn’t think I could handle more than I already had and was handling. But humans, we are so much stronger than we know.

I’ve found such strength in not focusing beyond the moment I am in. Doing what I can, with what I have, where I am and not worrying about anything beyond that until I get there.  It allows me to move from step to step without getting completely overwhelmed and shutting down. If any one thing gets to be too much, I break that down or I step away momentarily and catch my breath. Then come back and see if I can look at it from a different perspective.

Everything I accomplish feels like it requires so much more work, pushing through, and overcoming limitations than I think I’m capable of. But each thing I accomplish no matter how hard it is, or how long it takes me to get there, gives me the strength to conquer the next challenge, one at a time. When life throws all the challenges at once (which it appears to love doing lately) ….I still take one at a time. I focus on each thing I can control, and I set anything I cannot control aside. It’s not easy but it’s necessary to keep your sanity.

 I am happy to say that there is such beauty in just refusing to give up. And pushing through and seeing things you worked so hard for start to take shape. I have a lot more work to do and challenges to navigate but I will get there one moment at a time. I’ve never bought into impossible being a thing lol. If I can’t get through life's doors, I look for a window, if that doesn’t work, I keep looking for ways until I find one that works. I train myself to believe in the impossible. To stay eternally addicted to hope! That is how I get through day to day.

When you are battling chronic anything, it can be overwhelming, isolating, discouraging, draining, and just too much all the time. Worse if you are battling mounting medical bills, are limited in the work you can do or the amount of time you can do it, etc. But there is magic to finding what you can do, with what you have, where you are right now, and diving into that with all you have. It reminds you that you are capable of so much more than you realize. Those circumstances only have the power you give them. There will be times when you can’t do anything and that’s okay.

My greatest tool was my mind, imagination, and dreams. I saw myself doing the things that seemed impossible. I dreamed about them, imagined them, and took any steps I could towards them. Did it change my limitations? Yes and no. Yes, in that in some cases it did change what I was capable of doing as I believed I was capable of doing them. My body responded to my thoughts.   Also, some physical limitations did not change but I did, my body still responded to my thoughts, to what I believed about myself. This mental change allowed me to see a new way of doing things.

I hope you are all encouraged to never give up. To fight for what you are passionate about even if it looks impossible. Take each challenge moment to moment and eventually you will get there. And then you will be amazed when you see you also helped others get there, which is even more rewarding.   

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Be Honest, Be Real, Be You

Bobbie De Leon