Everyone has a story

Those words were so offensive the first time I heard them. I was stressing and complaining to the doctor about my work, my kid responsibilities, and my husband's cancer diagnosis. I needed this surgeon to understand my life and make things easier for me. "Everyone has a story," he said.

What? Wait, WHAT? Don't you understand? My husband is sick and I have to make him and everyone else okay! Can't you help me?! You should help me!!   I was brutally offended that my story wasn't the most tragic of the day and that he wasn't going to stop, drop, and rearrange everything for me.

Now fast forward 7 years. That job is gone, only one kid left in the house, and cancer won.  But I still remember those words. Why? It's because everyone DOES have a story. After to coming to know this surgeon over time, what he actually meant was, "I have heard it all and you're not special". He didn't know how profound his words were to me even he is not!

I have met those who say, "I don't think I could have gone through what you have." And then there are those I look at and think to myself - look what all they have endured. I don't have it bad at all. Everyone has a story that they have feelings about. And those feelings are valid! It doesn't matter what the story is - it's YOUR story and you and the feelings you have around it matter. If the worst thing that ever happened to you is a breakup in high school, then thank your lucky stars. But, that pain was real and it hurt! And it's part of your story.

So the challenge is to take what we have learned within our story to be better, to help others, to grow, to get stronger. There will always be additions to our story ... I welcome them. They have made me who I am today - a tough broad with a giant heart.  I am grateful for the pain and suffering, the heartaches and heartbreaks, the losses and the gains (ok not the weight gains!)  If I don't have the challenges, I become stale like stagnant water.

Think about how stagnant water occurs when the water stops flowing. It becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites.  You can't drink from it. It can become a health hazard. No one wants to be near it because of the infestations of mosquitos and other irritants and it stinks like hell! It needs to be drained where it stands still and refilled with fresh and clean running water.

I want the running water. I want the fresh and clean smell it provides. I want the new life that flows within it ... I want the crazy crap that happens and the silly laughs. I want tipsy girl nights and the intense boyfriend fights; I want teenage hormones and work frustrations. I want dysfunctional family drama and those quiet times alone. I want to keep dancing in public and creating my new love story.

I want to keep adding to my story ... I want to keep telling my story.  I want to help others inspire with their story. Everyone has a story to tell. Own yours - it has been entrusted to only you!