Positive Inspiration.

The past few days have been a bit rough on me, what with things not going the way I planned, being sick, finding my car damaged and work piling up. Plus having the birthday blues creep in and bite me in the ass has definitely not been any fun at all. But then as I blog hopped yesterday, I came across an old post by A Filipino Mom Blogger and was once again reminded that while we cannot control what happens to us, good or bad, one thing that's truly ours is the way we respond to it.

It reminded me of lessons I learned in my Dark Night of the Soul, a metaphor coined by Thomas Moore in the book of the same title about periods of difficulty, sadness and depressions that come into our lives. In it he spoke of how these dark nights should not be feared or shunned, but welcomed and allowed in to our existence as it makes us better individuals. Just like wines and alcohols that need to be fermented in dark cellars, our souls need that darkening too.

Of course dark nights are not easy to welcome. They are frightening, painful and truly difficult. However, as I learned in my own dark night, we need to be still and at peace with it so we can receive the gifts the darkness brings.

With that said, I resolved to affirm the good that I have right now, with no intention to disregard the bad, but to highlight that despite and in spite of everything, I am okay.

For today I am grateful for my dog, Bubba, who has made living with dark nights so much more bearable and easy, especially since I know he loves me unconditionally. In my last post I did talk about how sometimes the loneliness of being single creeps in every now and then. I honor that loneliness as a valid and essential part to making me who I am, but it will not define me. I am loved, even if sometimes it is hard to see it.

I am grateful for my blossoming social life, thanks to the blogging community where I have found so many new friends and acquaintances. I have also been able to realize many of my dreams through it, in whatever simple way, shape or form.

Lastly I am grateful for my many life's comforts...be it nice gadgets, the internet, my own car, and not having to pay my own rent. I have it a lot easier than many others, that's for sure. And I have to admit, I often take it for granted and complain about what could be better instead

Like I said, today I honor these things that I am grateful for, and also acknowledge that while there still are dark nights that take away all that's bright and shiny, I am not less for it. In fact, having that (as Meredith Grey would put it) dark and twisty part of me, makes me only better as I learn to merge both the yin and the yang of my soul.