Embracing The Chaos

I’m alive, I promise! And just in time for Random Wednesday with Shanna.

It’s no secret that my summer reads a little bit like a
country song. We had to cancel our original wedding, my dog died, we lived like
gypsies for 3 weeks thanks to a little fine print in our housing lease and I
put my fiancé on a plane to Afghanistan. Just a LITTLE bit of somethin’ going
on, ya feel me?

I was sitting in my friend’s living room last week skimming
through the new issue of REAL SIMPLE Magazine, when I saw a little blurb about
ways to reduce stress. The entry was entitled “Embrace The Chaos”. This
practically jumped off the page at me.

The stress of all the major things I talked about,
compounded with the tiny little stressors we all deal with daily (you know,
like paying bills, waking up late, etc.), is enough to make anyone stop and
think “WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!”

I’d be lying if I said I never have those moments or that I
never cry it out. Come on, I think we all do.

But here’s the thing—I wouldn’t change a single thing about
my life. This was the most amazing summer I’ve ever had. I have learned so much
about myself, grown in my relationship with Dane and grew up a lot more than I
might have otherwise. I don’t want people to feel bad for me and I don’t want the sympathy. I want others to embrace the struggles and the joys. Enjoy everything there is because even in the midst of so much chaos, there is so much beauty.