As I said in the previous post, I found my friends needing conversation last night – texts with Oliver and Emma, phone conversations with a family member and Andy. I worked on and off with trying to find the words to write Sacred Tears, but it felt incomplete, like I wasn’t quite conveying what I wanted to say. I really wanted to finish it and get my words right, so I put my phone on do not disturb. And 2.5 seconds later fucking Rosalyn started to ring – Andy was calling through Facebook video chat, which I have connected to my laptop, too. I laughed and picked up my phone to answer, knowing that it was a sign that I needed a clearer mind to write the post.
Today was braces day, with Matthew’s appointment at 9am. My intention had been to get up at my normal 5am, finish Sacred Tears and maybe knock out an article – I haven’t written one in almost a week. Then take him for his braces, and depending on how the appointment went, write another quote post and do another article.
I didn’t get to bed until almost midnight though, so I set my alarm for 730am instead. I knew that meant no time for any writing before the appointment, but I don’t get enough sleep as is. Sleep is important if I’m gonna keep living life the way I am, which is to say busting my ass from sun up to sun down most days. So I allowed sleep to be a part of my life.
No sooner did my alarm go off that my phone blew up with text messages. So I navigated getting ready for the day while conversing with those that had text.
And the next thing I knew, I was sitting in a chair watching my oldest hooligan get his braces put on.
So here we are at today’s quote:
“There are no impossible obstacles; there are just stronger and weaker wills.” – Jules Verne
Oh, a topic close to my heart.
I know I talk about this a lot. I know I talk about the fact that I refuse to let anything stand in the way of the things I want. And really, Mr. Verne has it all figured out. It’s not a matter of what is standing in your way – it’s a matter of if you have the strength to move the obstacle. To get beyond it.
How many things have I had stacked against me? How many obstacles have presented themselves to me? On almost a daily basis I have to look something in the eye that ‘can’t’ be done, and figure out how to get it done. There’s another quote that comes to mind when I think of how I approach my life – “She has been through hell, so believe me when I say, fear her when she looks into a fire and smiles.” -E. Corona.
Indeed.
I’ve given this gift of willpower to my children, and if there’s one gift to give someone, it’s willfulness. It’s confidence in oneself. It’s the ability to know that you can overcome.
One of Matt’s current favorite sayings is, “Yeah, well I’m different.”
For example, I told him that the process of getting braces would be slightly painful.
“Nah, I’ll be fine. I’m different.”
As if to say, what is painful to others isn’t painful to him.
And he says this whenever there’s something that is standing in his way, whenever something presents itself to him that would normally make others cower.
That’s my boy.
If you have the mindset that you will overcome, you will. It’s really as simple as that, folks.
So today, I urge you to change your mindset. I urge you to look at the things that ‘can’t’ be done, and reassess the situation. Where there is a will, there is a way. And if you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it done.
Look into the fire standing in your way, and smile. You’ve got this.
So, This is Real Life 