Yesterday Rising Dawn had a blog and it was entitled “On Finding Silver Linings.” In advance, she vented in that blog and now it’s my turn. It was Bekah’s turn to write the blog which in it she gave me some really good motivation to push through the fact that for the foreseeable future I have to work bells – which for all you non-Ashley peeps it means I open and close every single bloody night. Ya, for serious.

Wanna know what’s worse? My vacation that I have been planning for for four months has been cancelled. It’s not the first vacation of mine this year that has been cancelled. But this one was important. It was planned out. I was gonna head to Eugene to get more books. I was gonna do my shop work. I was gonna visit my mom in Seattle for her birthday. I was hoping to even swing down to Beaverton to see my sweet nieces and nephews. Now? Now I get to see the same four walls day in and day out until who knows when. And when I’m not seeing those walls I’m spacing out at the walls of my humble abode trying to sleep more than the three hours per night that I’ve been getting.

So far doing great on the motivation right?

To be fair sometimes finding your silver lining means venting the hell out of something until you are blue in the face. Finding your silver lining may be punching a bag as you are pretending it is maybe the regional manager you report to over and over and over again. Ya, that would be nice silver linings.

But really she posted the truth. She talked about fighting back when life throws you some jabs and throw downs. If you don’t know her she’s usually a positive person always finding ways to keep me from knifing someone on their blindside. My closest peeps are great at that.

Anyway, I loved the blog and was doing great listening to the meaning of it, then all hell hit the fan and I wanted to kill blow oops – okay so my computer autocorrected it as such and I just had to leave it at that. It should say people. But, like, how the heck did it autocorrect to blow oops? Don’t mind me, I’m tired. Extremely. I need to find sleep.

Ok getting back to the point.

It’s always a good thing to find the silver lining in your circumstances. Look, I completely understand how difficult some circumstances can be. I understand that it makes it almost impossible to find a positive spin when you can’t seem to get ahead. With all the adversity I’ve had to face the last two years it’s amazing I’m still standing. But, I am a fighter. I always have been. Everything that has ever been thrown at me I’ve conquered. When I was bullied in grade school I conquered the adversaries – now that I think of it maybe that’s why I’m so ha’ole-fied. When I sat there on prom night feeling broken I conquered those feelings. When I had to put my dog down I had to conquer the feelings of confusion and defeat. But, you see, I never lost to that darkness. I never lose. I either win or I learn. I’ve always believed that nothing could drop me to my knees but God Himself.

So now, after mostly venting I’m here to tell you there is always light at the end of a tunnel, no matter how long. There is always a brilliant rainbow at the end of the rain. There is always sun after the clouds. There is always  a peace after the storm. I say this because it’s true. Train your mind to see the good in every situation. My situation isn’t ideal. But, there is good that has come out of it. Examples include: I’m writing again, I’ve made great friends, I’m finding a way to honor my dad, I have learned to dream again.

There is never just bad. Your life, your situation, your dreams there is always something good coming out of that. What you need to do is believe you can. If you can believe you can then  you’re half way there. John Updike said, “Dreams come true, Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.” And he’s right. No matter what life throws at you, don’t blink, just take the bat and be ready to swing. Your tunnel will get lighter. You will see a double rainbow. Your sun will shine brighter. And your peace will have music. All because you found the silver lining that dragged you out.  Now good look. I’ll look with you.