Monday, September 16, 2013

Blessings in Disguise...they creep up when we least expect them to!

Do you know what is a truly life changing feeling?

When we realize that the things we formerly thought were "bad" for us are actually tremendous blessings in disguise.
 
If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”  
-Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

I was discussing my blessing in disguise with a friend last night. I shared with her that I battled an eating disorder for 10 years. I obsessed over my body image, exercising, my weight, my size, my diet. I spent so much time agonizing over these things that I lost valuable moments that could have been spent in joy instead of in self-loathing.

Several months ago, I started feeling weakness in my legs and was unable to perform my usual rigorous exercising as easily as before. Jumping in Zumba became difficult. I knew this was a problem since I was such an active person and did not understand this change in my body. I went to the doctor, and they could not find any issues. Therefore, I continued on with my life.

A few months later, I continued to become increasingly more and more weak to the point that it took everything in me to peel myself off of my chair to get into bed. Finally, after getting multiple opinions, the conclusion was formed that I had fibromyalgia. Since being on my medication, I have felt so much better and am able to live life normally again. However, I had to accept this life change because it affected my way of living.

How is this a blessing in disguise? Well, I allowed my body time to heal after the diagnosis and in doing so, I also allowed my mind to heal. I could no longer put my body image as the center of importance in my life. I now needed to focus on my health. I forced myself to take time off from exercising in order to learn to love myself just the way I am. I needed time for my body to adjust, and I needed time for my mind and soul to learn how to love myself. It was as if I had a huge wake up call telling me that I needed to slow down and realize what was more important in life. Now, I can exercise mindfully while listening to my body and my mind. I know when to stop, and I know when to keep going--for the right reasons.

Keep in mind this is coming from a girl who has gone through periods in my life of exercising two times a day. I love being active. I am not advocating a lack of exercise (and I am at a point where I will be starting to exercise consistently again since my mind and body are in better places now). I am a firm believer in maintaining the health of our bodies from the inside out.

The point I am trying to make is that we need to listen to these little hidden  blessings. We can't beat ourselves up over them. If something does not happen for us, we need to realize that it may be because something better is just waiting for the right time to enter our lives. If we are forced to accept a change in our lives, we need to realize that the change that occurred happened for a reason--it may just take time for us to see and understand it.