The Journey of a Friendly Giant

The downside of being an optimist that is committed to living my happiest life is my aversion to struggle. When things are too difficult and not going smoothly I assume that they simply “aren’t meant to be” and that I should let it go. That’s a problematic way of thinking because struggle is an inevitable part of life. It also doesn’t make sense in “all” scenarios, take motherhood for example, after a rough day with my baby I can’t simply decide “maybe motherhood isn’t for me... I gave it a shot though.” That’s absurd. This is my first week back at school, I’m working towards obtaining a masters in Education and doing so online. It’s my second year at it and I’m a few classes shy of achieving my graduate goals. There’s been some hiccups though! My account wouldn’t allow me to sign in, and when it did eventually with the help of a long back and forth with IT, I didn’t have access to my class :(. I couldn’t join the lesson until late Wednesday, just in time for a deadline! I spent my

What if life has nothing to do with the stuff we distract ourselves with? What if it has nothing to do with money, or stress and everything to do with discovery, relaxation and freedom? What if we are all addicted to pleasure and instant gratification because that’s what life would be like if we allowed ourselves to let go of this image of who we are told our entire lives we need to be. If we are tired of working because life isn’t about working, at least not in that way. Those that took alternative paths and failed are thrown in our faces time and time again in the news media. It’s unavoidable, the negativity is constantly spewed so we remain filled with doubt and insecure. yet unable to thrive and feel alive unless we are away from it all. On vaction or weekends. I want to live like I love myself. Like I love my husband, my son, my mother and brothers. Like I am not choosing work, money, and material possessions over the those I value and cherish most in this world. When everyone

Becoming a mother has changed my mind in ways I never expected, for example: I am motivated to be a better version of myself, instead of just talking about it. I used to make elaborate self-improvement plans especially this time of year but now I just tell myself, “he’s watching you mama.” And he already thinks I’m the best, I might as well become it. That being said however, I'm convinced that God made hangovers so that adults learn something... That lesson intensifies for those with children because kids wake up at the crack of Dawn regardless of how late your night was and how many wobbly pops you've consumed. & As an avoider of pain, especially the self-induced kind, my conclusion is simple : Don't get hangovers. It's not like it's a mysterious phenomena that comes out of nowhere, we know how they arise and why they occur. So that’s my resolution, not to et hungover. It happens so rarely that it practically consumes me whole when it does. My other-not-so-