Lessons Learned

I worked almost twelve hours today and loved every minute of it.  I am thankful to still have a job that I love and be able to breathe in the fresh air on this beautiful day.

As I mentioned yesterday, I was quite anxious about today.  All my fear and anxiety over the past week was my own doing and I am thankful to be moving forward at a place I enjoy being.  I had a good chat with my boss and feel comfortable moving forward. I still wish the Friday before I left had gone differently as I had really looked forward to the trip to Dominican and I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I should have. All because of not cutting a church on Thursday at 6:00.

I have learned some valuable lessons over the the last few weeks which I would like to touch on.  The first is that the written word is a powerful tool and should be used with care.  Writing can make people laugh and fill them with joy but, it can also hurt people you truly care about.  I learned that the hard way and will never use this blog in such a manner again.  I love writing in this to share my journey regarding mental illness but,  I will never disregard my good sense and moral compass in the future.

The second thing I learned is that it is best to deal with situations head on.  If I simply had the courage to say what I was feeling in the moment, then it would never have come to all of this anguish in my head.  I find it difficult to do so at times but, it sure beats the hell out of what I have put myself through over the last week.

The third thing I learned is that I need to think before I react to things.  I cannot take things so personally and although it may be challenging with my disorder,  it is an aspect of my life that needs improvement.  I need to develop some thicker skin and let things slide off my shoulders more.  I am a good person and strive to contribute to my family the best I can.  I cannot let situations affect the many positive aspects of my life.

The last but, certainly not the least, is that I have an incredible life partner in Jodi.  She has been instrumental in my life and helped me push through this last week.  On the way home,  I was remembering all the amazing aspects of our trip to the Dominican.  Those positive memories I took home with me would not have been possible without Jodi.  She makes me want to be a better person every day and to push myself through times of darkness, fighting for hope.

I want to congratulate Dave and Meghan on their wedding.  They make a wonderful pair and have no doubt that they will share an incredible life journey together.  I owe Dave so much and I am thankful that he has found such an amazing woman to share his life with.  Hope you have an awesome honeymoon filled with laughter and joy.  Safe travels.

I was thrilled to see Ollie again last night.  Felt like I had been a way from him for a month.  It filled me with such joy to see him run up to me again wagging his tail.  I missed him a lot and hope to take him for some good plays this weekend.

Hope you have a great week.  Take care,  Shawn.

Let the good days be great and let the bad ones be nothing that I cannot handle.  Jesse Reed