Kelli Standish is one of the most inspirational people that I know but have never met - some of you know what that means. Today she shared this on Facebook and she said it was okay to share here.I am a firm believer in doing opposite things. When a spine surgeon told me I might not be able to travel or even walk again, I went out that night and bought luggage. When a rheumatologist told me my pelvis was almost completely fused by disease, I scheduled a zip lining adventure in the jungles of Costa Rica. When a handyman told me I wasn't capable of dealing with my leaking toilet, I pulled the whole thing out, repaired the break in the line beneath it, and replaced it with a new one.Kelli does not blog much any more but you can find her posts at kellistandish.com.
So last night, when I was at one of my darkest moments in my life, feeling utterly forsaken by God and wishing for death due to all the rejection and emotional pain in my divorce, I decided another opposite thing was in order. Tonight I made myself get dressed up and go to church, and then I reached out to a work acquaintance and asked her if she'd like to get together.
The music and message at church was powerful and uplifting, and my work acquaintance said yes to dinner. We had a fantastic time, eating with our hands, sharing stories, and drinking cup after cup of glorious Ethiopian spiced tea.
So wherever you are in your life, whatever dark thing you're facing, do something opposite. You won't feel like it. You won't have the energy or time or money or bravery or health for it. Do it anyway. Opposite things make room for hope and fresh air and momentum. Opposite things disrupt darkness.
Now that is one brave person! A very interesting concept. I wonder if I could do that......
ReplyDeleteKelli is so inspirationally brave Debby. I think courage is something you do not know that you have until you need it.
DeleteI guess I'm an 'opposite' person too because recently, when told (for the first time in the 20 years since I had diabetes) I can't bring it down/under control through diet,I went home and threw out or gave away any offending foods; when told I can't control my bp/hypertension with lifestyle changes, I promptly started exercising. When told my liver function was disastrous (viral load 5,000,000), I googled and promptly bought kale, lemons, blueberries, and other liver cleansing items and ceased eating processed foods and dairy. Maybe not as radical as zip lining, but radically opposite for me! Moral of the story: Don't discount people's input, but don't pedestalize it either to the point of disempowering yourself and discounting your inner strength.
ReplyDeleteWhat great advice Corey!
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