Somewhere in the last year I read a post on social media that said, “You can have a thousand problems in your life, until you have a health problem. Then you only have one problem.” Things become a lot more focused when you look at it like that.
Within the last year I’ve had some fairly significant health issues come up. They didn’t just magically appear overnight, I’ve had some signs, some things I couldn’t shake, and this strange feeling that something wasn’t right. I spiraled internally. Then externally. Slammed into the bottom pretty hard, and thankfully, have the most amazing and loyal person in my life that helped prop me up until I got my bearings again.
That quote, “… you only have one problem” really encapsulates how your view on things changes. Admittedly, I spent some time in my own head feeling pretty bad for myself and pretty horrible about myself, for a host of reasons. Then I started doing a lot more work on me. I mean, I’m still here. Still kickin’ and screamin’. Still have family to support. Still have a life to live, however that may look moving forward, but I’m still here.
As I pushed through, with some unbelievable support, I really dialed in on me. Some of those deeper notes from the past that contribute to the what we do automatically and the why we do it. That brought up some moments of growth, gave me some insight, and gave me a little more hope that I could move on in spite of the one problem. Then my lens started to shift because I became more focused in.
Life narrowed for me significantly. It became more focused on what truly mattered. Instead of worrying about what so many people thought or how they felt about something… I realized the only one’s that mattered were my immediate family and that tight knit three to five people that only wanna know whose car we gonna take.
Where I spent my time became more selective. Who I spent my time with even more than where. No, became a hell of a lot easier to say and being guilted or pressured into something, nah.
Life has narrowed down like a canyon pass. I can only fit so much with me, so what I’m going to have with me, in that pass, are the important people that really matter. The rest of it, not so much. The stress and time with a high paying job that buys a bunch of stuff we don’t need, doesn’t fit. The parties, events, or social functions that felt like obligations to please others, doesn’t fit. The masks and performances to make others comfortable, doesn’t fit. The people pleasing that stems from years of never being enough for people that never really mattered, doesn’t fit. What fits with me in this narrow pass are the people that matter.
A life lesson that I wish I’d learned sooner. Don’t wait until life narrows to remember what’s important to you. Focus in on that now. We never know what the future will bring. Be present, enjoy those that are important, and be grateful.
Leave a Reply