We live in the real world and sometimes it isn’t the most pleasant place to live. It can be hard just getting through the day-to-day stuff of life. Sometimes it’s a struggle just to make it from morning to night. Things are going smoothly and everything seems to be going your way and then BOOM, you wake up the next day and EVERYTHING IS OFF again!
But reality is what it is… We have to two choices: either get up and make the most of the situation or lay in bed and wallow in our own sorrow. Most times we follow path number two for a while, until we realize that option number one is the right choice and we pull up our big girl panties, get our crap together, and make the most of the situation.
Over the past few weeks my family was hit was what feels like a triple whammy. I was traveling along life’s path and thinking everything was finally going my way. I was following Whole30 and doing well with it. In my first month, I lost 10 pounds and felt better. I added a boatload of supplements to my daily routine to help work on some recurring health issues and during February I lost another 8 pounds. I was exercising consistently and losing weight again, after pretty much being stagnant for the past year. I was feeling like this was my time for all the stars to align properly and everything was going just right.
Then it started… My 12-year-old son got sick for the fourth time in five weeks. He was vomiting and could barely get out of bed for five days. Then I started not feeling great. I was exhausted and run down, which made me not want to eat the way I had been eating. I just wanted to rest. While this was going on, my husband finds out that half his client base no longer needs him for projects. To add insult to injury, he gets the sickness from hell and can’t work for five days. When you are self-employed and a sole proprietor, things like this can be devastating. While we are trying to pick up the pieces from this hit, we discover a couple of other financial things that need addressed.
I pulled on my big girl panties and started applying for some full time retail positions, where I can work overnights. For our family, me working third shift, although not ideal, works best. We can continue homeschooling and participating in our multitude of social and extracurricular activities, and I can sleep in the mornings or afternoons when things are a bit slower for us. Although I won’t be able to sleep 8 hours, I will still get enough sleep and our lifestyle will be disrupted as minimally as possible. I will be giving up free time in the evenings, but I will be giving my husband a bit of breathing room as he looks for a consistent replacement for this client.
Instead of relaxing at the end of the day and following a simple at-home exercise routine, I will exercise while my son is in karate at the local rec center, which will help energize me before I go work my 10-hour shift. I will make meals that are simple and full of veggies to keep me from wanting to eat out all the time. I will continue focusing on losing weight and toning up. This will ensure that I continue on with my goals for the year, even though my going to work was not in the plan. I will adapt to what life is throwing my way and make the best of it, however I can. Life happens and we have to adapt.
How do you adapt to life’s obstacles? I would love to hear how you cope when things aren’t going the way you planned!
xoxoxo,
Ann
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