I’ve never hidden the fact that I’ve had my share of health challenges over the years. Sometimes, people haven’t always been able to see what was going on with me, and other times it was (literally) “written all over my face”. The question I’m am most frequently asked is “how do you stay so positive?” It’s actually pretty simple. Being happy is easier. Negativity takes WAY more energy than being positive does. I’m not trying to sound lazy here, but to be honest, half the time, I’m too tired to be mad, pissed off or stressed out about situations I can’t necessarily change or control. So I’ve always been one to choose an attitude of the “glass is always half full” or subscribe to the “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” adage. In fact, sometimes, I’d like to say, “fill up that glass half full with the lemonade you made from the lemons life gave you!” but it’s kinda a mouth full so I just stick to one or the other. 

    Don’t get me wrong, I have my bad days. I have days where I have pity parties for myself & I don’t get out of my pajamas, don’t wash my hair, watch Gossip Girl on Netflix and eat sour patch kids for dinner, but I try not to do that very often. 

    A friend of mine is a 37 year old survivor of breast cancer. Last year she wrote me and said, “how are you not angry? I am so angry!! I’m having a hard time getting past this. Sure, I’m grateful to be alive, and feel the love of my friends and family but I’m just pissed.” 

    I understood where she was coming from because although I have never fought the beast that is cancer, I have battled many other life threatening illnesses and injuries throughout my life. I told her that it was ok & perfectly normal to be angry, but that at some point, you have to forgive your body for letting you down. You also have to be empathetic to it & know that it is hurting as much as you are. Also, you have to have faith that your body will carry you through this. Our bodies are magnificent machines that were made to protect and safely guide us through our beautiful life’s journey here on Earth and if we have a little faith in them, they generally will bounce back, repair, restore, heal, & return to the state in which we need them. 

       I also explained that anger, like negativity, takes much more effort than empathy or positivity and that quite honestly I didn’t have the energy most days to get all fired up. Again, call me lazy, but it’s the truth. I’m a slacker when it comes to raw emotion. 

    I know empathy may seem like an odd choice of word to use when referring to your feelings about your body. But I feel compassion and kindness are two of the most important virtues one can possess. If you can truly feel a sense of gratitude, love, kindness & compassion for something even a body that is broken, bruised, healing, or sick, then you can see the positive in just about anything. And that right there is the good stuff.