Friday, September 9, 2016

Cascading Failures


I was going to wait until tomorrow. I was going to go on an adventure and take some time to clear my mind. Take some time to spend somewhere far from where I call home and talk to God. I was also going to finish my Biology paper first…

My name is Emily and I’m addicted to sharing my feelings.

You guys I am a serious ball of anxiety lately. I don’t know what your personal experience is with anxiety. Or if you even have an experience with it; if not, then I seriously envy you. My anxiety is debilitating. My heart is stuck on fast mode, it beats so quickly and powerfully that I can barely breath. I get very short of breath, so having any sort of real conversation is beyond out of the question. It feels as if there are hundred pound bags of sand sitting on my chest. Every now and then I take big long deep breaths to try and feel as if I’m getting an actual breath. I get that little ball of “I think I might puke” in the back of my throat, my stomach twists and turns… And then there is this feeling in my neck, it’s like the feeling you get when you see something really really disgusting. All I want to do is scrunch up my shoulders and roll my neck around in circles. I could keep going, but I’m hoping you get the point.

I’ve been watching the show Shameless on Netflix. I can’t explain how many feelings it has brought up for me. I’m sure over time you will all learn the dirty details of my childhood if you don’t already know. And if not on here, I intend on writing a book… been working on it off and on for years (I assure you it will cause World War III). Regardless, something I heard on the show tonight made me stop and rewind just to hear it again.

Cascading Failures. Like when a plane goes down. It’s never just one thing that causes it. It’s a chain reaction.

If that doesn’t just explain my life in a couple of sentences. Like woah dang. One of my dearest bestest friends always has told me it blows her mind how extreme things happen in my life. There’s never just one problem. It’s always one thing after another, “My boyfriend cheated on me, we broke up, I couldn’t stop crying at work, I actually quit my job today, and on my way home my car broke down. When I got home there was an eviction notice. Oh and my son is sick”. That was a total made up example…  to a degree. HA Point is that’s usually something along the sounds of my life. And then she speaks of the other end, how I have this weird sort of luck to always have things land back in my lap to fix it all up. She also says she’s never met someone who has tried so many different things, FAILED MISERABLY so many times, and still got up to keep going and try the next thing.

That just sounded like a real horn toot on my end for a second. TOOT TOOT! I quite often fail to stop and realize the accomplishments I’ve actually made. I tend to look around at others my age and undermine myself. You all should check out they've people I graduated from high school with! I love creeping through social media and seeing all of the wonderful life milestones they hit. College graduation, engagement, marriage, babies… typical growing up stuff. It makes my heart so full for them, and so empty for myself. Sometimes it is important to quit with the pity party. My life didn’t go as planned, yes I made a choice to be a young mother, yes at almost 27 years old I’m only in my third semester of community college, yes I have moved too many times, yes I’m still unwed and trying like heck to just stay afloat most days…

But this is my life. And Grant was a blessing like none other. And college is better late than never. I didn’t exactly have great role models growing up, and a lot of the adults in my life failed me, but I will take responsibility for my choices in life. I will wear them proudly; now I am a young mother to a handsome little one. I work full time, I’m in school, I care about my health, I am raising a 2nd grade boy who is playing soccer this year, and of course I am doing my best to be more and more involved at my church and grow closer to God everyday. There is something to be said for all that. This is YOUR life and YOUR story, don’t sell yourself short. Be happy for those around you doing well. Be happy for those around you who are working to do better. Be happy for yourself and the journey you have taken to get to where you are today. If you don’t like today, fix it for tomorrow.

The other night a friend and I were chatting about how many people have reached out about this blog, and he said “Can you imagine if you go back in time and tell the four-year-old Emily ‘everything is going to be just fine. We are going to inspire people with this story one day.’ It's crazy to think about” I instantly started to cry uncontrollably in bed. I literally pictured just that. Being able to go and tell that little girl that it would be ok, because someday we were going to find God. And someday he was going to show us that he has been there all along, and he will open your eyes to the fact that he has kept your nose above water all these years for a reason. And it was going to reach other people, inspire them, touch their lives and hearts. Maybe just for a moment or maybe for the rest of their own lives.

I don’t know your story, and some of you don’t yet know mine. I need you to know I’m here for you. That Jesus dude… he’s there for you. I might have just rambled aimlessly again… I’m trying to work on organizing my thoughts more for you all, but I’m really very terrible at that. It’s whatever though right?

If you need me. I’m here.

“Casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.” -1 Peter 5:7

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