Dear Struggle, Thank You.

It's Monday. A cold and rainy morning to start the week. I woke up later than anticipated. My phone never charged overnight because it wasn't sitting just right on the charging base. Are you kidding me? Thankfully I got my morning prayers in. The Lord knows I need them. But then, the dog spilled my coffee—down the leather couch and onto the rug. My laundry is still wet in the dryer because I never turned it on last night. Then it's the annoying phone call for my first actual conversation of the day. Is it lunchtime yet? No. First I have to scrub the paint off my favorite hoodie because I forgot to change before I got started on a project. I come back downstairs only to find an entire uprooted plant in the living room. Don't worry, it was accompanied with a trail of soil and debris, all through the house—leading straight to the doggie door. Ugh—scratch my morning plans. I'm starving. Just realized I never ate breakfast. But it's too late now. I'll just have lunch. Oh, wait—I didn't workout this morning. Do I have enough time to get in a workout, shower, do everything else I need to do, and be ready to leave for work? Nope. I missed that window. Well damn, now I'm really fired up. “Hello? Somebody? Anybody? It's only noon and this is my life! Please send help.”

Yikes! Sound the alarm. Because Lydia is having a day! Does this sound familiar? I know, I know—first world problems. But let's just discuss for a moment. Because honestly, struggle is struggle, no matter how small it may seem. And when your day is a train wreck from the get-go, it seems to just have a trickle down effect on the remainder of the day. Oh wait, is that just me? 

You've heard it time and time again. I've mentioned it in other blog posts. We all struggle. No one is immune from it. It might be different from the next person, but—WE ALL STRUGGLE! Our handling of it, however is a different story. My manic Monday morning was absolutely the start of a dumpster fire kind of day. And believe me, it continued—for the rest of the day. Doesn’t it always? But you know what? I learned so much from each event that transpired, as trivial as they were. There is something good that comes out of every bad situation. Trust me. If not, then maybe it wasn't really that bad after all. In the middle of my own frustrations, I rarely spot a glimmer of positivity. And that's ok—most people probably don’t. As long as I can look back later on and see the good that came from it.

I don’t want to wish struggle on myself, but I'm to the point where I want to challenge myself with a difficult day, every day. Just to see how I'll respond. I don't mean like intentionally set myself up for failure, but not look for the easy way out either. Like say my morning prayers and then be like—“Alright, God, whatcha got for me today? I can handle it.” 

I think the face of struggle is character building or sometimes, character crushing even. Take your pick. I will say that you learn a lot about yourself and others when adversity is your biggest and fiercest opponent. And how you handle difficult situations, speaks volumes of your character—one way or another.

Take untangling Christmas lights for example—because tis’ the season. If you’ve never had to tackle this task, consider yourself lucky. If you have, then you understand the deep frustration that comes along with it. It’s amazing how a strand of lights can steal Christmas spirit in a matter of seconds. It’s true. But I do believe everyone should experience it. Just to see how you respond. It’s understood that how we approach a challenge such as untangling lights, can tell a lot about who we are as a person. Who are you when the going gets tough? Do you keep on keepin’ on? Or do you just lay down and wallow in defeat? 

I say bring it on. Bring on the hard stuff. Give me something that rocks the boat a little. While struggling isn’t my favorite way to get through a day, I’m always up for a good challenge. Here’s something to think about—without a struggle there is no silver lining. Without a silver lining, there is no hope. Without hope, there’s no reason to believe anything good can happen. If nothing good can happen, then what are we even here for? We know that’s not true. As bad as struggling may be at times, it’s something we need to experience. 

Struggle gives us strength. It gives us hope. It gives us an opportunity to find good in misfortune. Without struggle, we would lack character building. It literally wouldn’t exist. You’ll never meet a great person that hasn’t experienced struggle. I’d argue the harder the struggle to overcome, the better and stronger a person is on the other side. Maybe that’s you?

I am thankful for my struggles. Because without them I would not be who I am today. I am brave, strong, courageous and resilient. I am always ready to tackle a challenge head on. In the face of struggle, I learn and I grow. I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

It’s 10:15pm. I’m exhausted—but shockingly in bed at a decent hour, considering it’s Monday. I lay my head on my pillow and think about my day, with tears streaming down my face. I think to myself, “Man, that was a day!” Then I give the day to God—all of it. My nightly prayer brings a sense of calm that is much needed after the day I just had. But I made it through. I’m incredibly blessed and I know this. Goodnight, for now. Tomorrow is a new day.