When Life hands you Lemons...

As I'm sitting here at work waiting for my ride home to come get me, I debate what to talk about. I hate being the girl that constantly complains about her problems, so I'm hesitant to vent about the current situations getting me down. On second thought, this is my blog and I can write about whatever the heck I want. Hmmm. It's tempting.

Even though venting, writing, and talking about problems can be therapeutic, most of the time it just leaves the things I don't want to think about fresh in my mind, therefore making me sad and causing me to dwell on them. That being said, I'm taking on a new mantra:

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be AWESOME instead. TRUE STORY."
-Neil Patrick Harris

(Thanks, Suz!)

It's easy to complain and it's easy to be miserable. Way too easy. Especially for me. It's easy to forget about all the amazing things this life has to offer when you're sideswiped with life's next challenge (or the same reoccuring one). And honestly, this last obstacle has left me more heartbroken and in more internal pain than any other time that I can remember. But it's something that's out of my control, and there's nothing I can do to change it.

So, what now? Where do I go from here? How am I supposed to keep going when it's hard to even get out of bed in the morning? All common questions. And most of the time, I don't think anyone really knows the answers to those questions. But if I've learned anything from the 21 years of experience I've had on earth, I've learned that sometimes all you can do is put a smile on and literally keep a constant prayer in your heart. You might not always feel happy, but if you really try, you will be eventually. I've had to take it hour by hour every day for the last 2 and a half weeks, and sometimes, even after doing everything I can, I still feel sad at the end of day. There will always be days like that. And when that happens, I try to remember these scriptures from D&C 121:

7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

10 Thou art not yet as Job...

I love the last part. "Thou art not yet as Job." No matter what you're going through, it's never as bad as it could be. There is always someone else that has it worse, and it can be a very humbling experience when you really understand that.

And even though Heavenly Father hates to see us suffer, He's not going to take our trials away from us. Mosiah 24 helped me to understand that:

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

I'm sure you know all of the above already. I realize I'm not the only one who has problems. But being able to talk about how to be happy, instead of the underlying issue that prefaced this post to begin with, already has made me feel like I'm making some sort of progress. I feel like I've said the things I'm supposed to say.

I'm so thankful for all of my wonderful family members who love and support me no matter what. For my fantastic work friends who help make 8 hours of monotony not so monotonous and keep me laughing. For my roommate who is the best listener, knows how to brighten my day, and really knows the meaning of service. And for all the others close to me who are the best friends anyone could ask for.

And now I'm off to go be AWESOME.