Loser Like Me

You know, one of the things I’m most thankful for is that my mom always taught me that it’s okay to be me, that I should never try to be anything that I’m not. This is especially good advice, because it’s pretty impossible to be anything other than who you are, and yet so many people spend their lives trying, or being dissatisfied with who they are. One thing I’ve realized is that being yourself is not about being perfect, it’s about being comfortable and confident in any situation. Because the only thing you can control in life is yourself.

In the toughest of times, and believe me these times have been tough, I somehow manage to find the bright side. I don’t really know how I do it, but I think it’s just that a positive outlook is my natural response. I don’t know how to be overwhelmed by bad things, because I am confident that everything will turn out okay, or I’ll make the best of it.

One of my mom’s favorite sayings was, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” My personal take on this is that if you are the “sugar” in your own life, everything is sweet.

While it’s true that I have been ridiculously, overwhelmingly busy, it’s all been positive things that have filled my days. For instance, yesterday I went out of my way to go to a sorority alumnae event, but I was rewarded by seeing many of my wonderful friends and getting as many hugs. There are so many wonderful people in my life, like my neighbors who helped me paint my downstairs guest room and then came over later to save me when I locked myself out of my house.

It’s like every thing that happens can either be positive or negative in your life. But the undeniable truth is that anything can happen, and you have very little control over it. So I am choosing to be happy whenever I can, and the result is that I AM happy.