Being Happy

Any time you have major changes, there's one of two possible outcomes. You can look back at where you were and be miserable that you aren't there any more. Or you can look ahead at the new possibilities and be excited for what's coming. In either case, you haven't avoided the change. You've only managed your perspective on it.

Never has this been more evident for me than right now. I'm at the end of a difficult and frustrating change. We left our first home, rented it out to someone we didn't know, and moved in with parents. At first, it felt like we were moving backward. We didn't have the ability to look after ourselves. We were dumb for getting into the situation in the first place. And I missed our home. Wanted to walk around my garden. Walk down the street to visit friends or family. I'd never lived any where that wasn't my home town for any really significant time. (Not counting my LDS mission. That's a whole different set of circumstances.) And I was pretty miserable thinking about what we'd given up.

And now, I've changed my perspective. There's been some really unexpected blessings. My kids getting to know their other grandparents. Having a solid plan in place for getting out of debt. See hubby working hard again and feeling productive. And then there's the more subtle things. Feeling independent. Feeling strong and capable. (I know. It's strange to feel those things in this situation, but I do.) And I feel hope. Hope that things can change. I've realized that while the things I have aren't HOW I wanted them, they are WHAT I wanted. And if I am getting what I wanted, the how stops mattering as much.

How does this apply to writing? I don't know. Something to incorporate into a character's arc, I suppose. If it's something I go through, it certainly would be realistic to expect a similar journey from someone I'm writing about. Something to think about, any way.

How about you, friends? What are you learning right now? What are your hidden blessings?