Lessons Life Has Taught Me

Every now and then we have to take a break from out usual to look at things we seem to ignore most of the time. For me, that would be the part of my life that doesn't include working all the time and always doing something. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we're working toward that we forget to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Don't get me wrong, it is great to have goals to work toward and the feeling of accomplishment when you get there.  But it's those little things along the way that make the journey worth it, and if we are too distracted by what we're doing to notice we miss out on all the wonderful things. As we get older, we start to wonder about what we would do if we could go back. Would we change the way we handled things? In a simple word, no. While some experiences in my life have been painful, or awkward, or just downright depressing, I learned something important from every one of them. I learned that sometimes people aren't what they seem, you have to be careful who you trust, and that bad things happen. What matters is what you learn from it and how you handle the situation next time. I firmly believe that we all have room for improvement and as we go along, we get better. Becoming gluten free after being diagnosed as a Celiac was part of my self improvement. It was awful at first and I didn't want to deal with it at all. But as time went on, I learned to deal with it and eventually decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and turn my diagnosis into a way to help others like me. The hardest thing to do is fight something when you feel all alone. Realizing that you aren't alone changes everything. It makes you realize there are other people out there going through the same thing as you. That simple little fact makes it easier to deal with. Without Celiac Disease, I would not have grown to be the person I am today. I wouldn't have this need to help others like me however I can. In a way, I am actually thankful for my Celiac. It made me realize a purpose I never would have seen without it. Everything in life happens for a reason, I believe that now more than ever. As hard as it may be at the time, you just have to stop and realize what that reason is.