I think that I have proven this statement many times, as has anyone who faces challenges yet conquers fears and pulls through the difficult times.

[And I so know that the above sentence is such a long run-on sentence, but as someone said recently, “I like to hear myself talk”.] I don’t think that I should be the only one to take all of the credit- though it may sound like I do…

The definition of RESILIENCE is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

We don’t grow when things are easy, we only grow through challenges; think about it, staying in a stationary ‘easy’ place leads to exactly that, stationary, a place of not changing, not growing.

I’ve gone through many personal changes and challenges in my 4 decades [OMG- CAN I REALLY SAY THAT?? The only thing worse than hearing that is hearing, ‘Ya, you still got it’ (LOL)]

Through the many ups and downs in my life; ups as in being a well-known girl in my high school class, captain of the cheerleading squad to a devastating car accident and all the ‘friends’ that I thought I had desert me.

Ups as in finding that man who makes me happy, (A coworker who is a CONSTANT flirt) (JUST KIDDING MATT KARST!) buying a cute little townhouse and having a loving Chazz dog to take long walks through the beautiful neighborhood. To years later coming home from work to an empty lonely house without a 4 legged companion. Trying another rescue dog a year later, only to have Lily (the other rescue dog) be more of a challenge than expected. And by more of a challenge, I mean biting on everything EXCEPT for the millions of chew toys that we bought her, digging holes in the yard, pulling me off balance when trying to walk her (reinjuring my leg, or just pulling a nerve in my back that affects the same leg PROVING that I am growing older) Only having to return Lily after 4 weeks to the rescue organization rekindling all the sadness in losing Chazz. Granted, 4 weeks is NOTHING LIKE 12½ years, but it is still the loss of a (hopeful) family member. And bringing about a feeling of failure.

(Listen to the sound of the tiniest violin music playing) 🎻

Anyway, off my tangent and back on resilience, I think that this is kinda what everyone does. A person (mostly) doesn’t just give up, a person can’t really survive if one gives up. So here we all are- SURVIVORS- though that doesn’t necessarily define us. We are defined as so much more than the story of ‘what happened’,we still exist in the present…

…and WHAT WAS I TALKING ABOUT???

WAS THIS A POINTLESS TANGENT?

WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL IDEA?

I guess we’ll never know exactly what goes through Danielle’s mind…