February 29th



It's a pretty unique day; after all it only comes around every 4 years.  (Although not always, but that's not what this post is about.)  I have a friend whose birthday it is today (Happy Birthday K!)...it's technically only her 12th birthday.  Davy Jones (one of my first crushes) died on February 29th in 2012.  So he's been dead for 6 years, but this is only the 2nd anniversary of his death.  How crazy is that?

I don't often have a chance to write a blog post on the 29th,  so I wanted to make sure that I did it today.  I won't have another chance to do this for 4 years and who knows if I will still be blogging at that time.  (I certainly hope I will and I hope you will be reading too!)  So I wanted this post to be especially honest and true...and maybe a little inspiring?

So I've decided to be brutally honest and frank and say that this month, and in particular the past two weeks, have been incredibly stressful for me.  I don't know if there has been a day where I haven't broken down and wept.  The problem is that it isn't one thing; it is many.  I have been facing challenges/problems at work, with my parents and with my teen son.  They are NOT insurmountable, but when they all hit at once...And for the past few weeks challenges have been coming fast and hard. I KNOW I am a strong person, but every day has found a way to knock me for a loop.  Seriously, send me/buy me a case or more of tissues because I am going through boxes at a clip.  (Or do yourself a favor and buy stock in Kleenex.  You could making a killing in the market!)  I am resilient; I bounce back every day like a weeble that wobbles (dating myself here), but every day as pushed me a little harder.  But I press on; I am strong when I need to be and then I have my sobfests on my husband's shoulder (his shirts are getting quite a workout!) and with his emotional support I keep going.

The problems that I've been facing are in no way unique to me.  They are things that many people battle; just hopefully not all at the same time.  That's what makes my situation so overwhelming and emotional. I keep saying:  IF I could only get a break on ONE front... I keep moving forward a step at a time.  And then I get pushed back.  But isn't that life?  Again, I and the problems that I face are in no way unique.  It is understandable that I feel depressed.  Crying is to be expected.  All of these emotional outbursts are normal.  I AM ok.

So what is the point of all this?  Do I want you to feel sorry for me?  Well, maybe a little.  Do I want your support and prayers?  ALWAYS!  No matter what I am always in for any kind of support I can get.  But the true purpose of this rambling is to point out that I am NOT unique.  That we ALL face problems/issues/situations that slap us in the face and make us feel like we are failures.  Or that there is nothing we can do.  Or that it is just not worth it...that it's just too hard.

What I am here to say is that we ALL feel this way at one point or another.  And it's okay to talk about.  We SHOULD talk about.  Our problems may be unique to us, but there are thousands of others who face similar issues and we CAN get through it.  Don't be afraid to share; don't fear asking for help.  Asking for help does not make us weak; it makes us ALL stronger.  Today you may be the person asking for assistance; tomorrow you might be giving it.  There is a reason that there are millions of people here on this planet; if we were meant to be alone there wouldn't be so many of us!

It's been said that life is not a destination; it's a journey.  Sometimes the journey sucks big time.  We get stuck in muck. The potholes break our undercarriage.  The traffic boxes us in and there seems to be nowhere to go.   But we CAN get through it.  We WILL get through it.  The road will even out and the traffic will fade away.  We will have a good ride.  And then there will be ruts and potholes again.  There will the hills we must forge up, but once we are there, we can coast down.   (You know I must live in NJ with all these road metaphors...or are they just references?  English teachers, you remind me.)

Today IS a unique day.  Take this day to remember that even if life is treating you unfairly, that it won't always be that way.  Flip side; if all is good, cherish the moment because you just might get a slap in the face when you least expect it.  Know that life is full of good AND bad.  Neither will last forever.  As the late, great George Harrison sang:  Sunrise doesn't last all morning. A cloudburst doesn't last all day...Now the darkness only stays at nighttime. In the morning it will fade away. Daylight is good at arriving at the right time.  It's not always going to be this gray.  All things must pass.  All things must pass away."  

May this February 29th pass away with good memories...and if NOT know that there will be another sunrise tomorrow.  Look to those who offer you smile...they ARE there.  On this February 29th if you can, offer that smile...and if you can't accept the ones that are given to you.  Remember tomorrow is a new day and a new month...and there will be new opportunities and new challenges. Individually and together we can travel this road of life.

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