Life's Struggles

 Jenny Matlock

It is Alphabae-Thursday with Jenny Matlock.  The letter today is S.  Yesterday was a rough day.  It was a real Struggle...

Last Sunday in church a beautiful talk was given on struggles.   She is a cancer survivor.  She talked about how her trials could be seen by all, and then went onto say there are other types of trials that can not be seen, but are just as bad.  She is truly an amazing person, and to look at her you would not know the fight she went through.  And likewise, we do not know the fight of others.

Yesterday was a huge struggle just to get through. First struggle of the day was teen angst and getting past it in order to get to school.  It's never an easy thing.  Life at 13 is just one big struggle.  It's hard to remember that when you are all grown up.  Another struggle is when you are younger and want to be treated fairly.  Fair is fair, and everyone is going to school. 

Once past that struggle, I was faced with another.  Well this time it wasn't mine.  It was someone else's.  But since I was in public I had to endure it.  I went shopping at Wally with my mom yesterday.  And while we were there, I think there must have been at least three different sets of kids screaming bloody murder.  And this wasn't just a small fit by any of these kids.  They were full blown-I'm-going-to-get-my-way tantrums.  I was reminded of my 19/20 year old self, who upon hearing such shrieks would swear to never have children. Ever.  Today I was just happy and grateful on many levels, that those struggles were not mine.

It was raining yesterday.  And in CA, that means you might melt.  We parked in the handicapped spot, because my mom has a plaque and it is legal.  We don't normally park in those spots.  Since my mom had her knees replaced she gets around worlds better and is even doing Zumba now. Long story short we both forgot about the plaque. Yep, I was cited for it.  And just for general information those things are not cheap.  Yes, we can have it corrected without court and so on, but what a pain. 

Later yesterday another struggle came my way in the form of an email from my middle's teacher.  She struggles so much in school.  She has an IEP.  They work really hard and well with her and me.  But something had gone amiss in our system, and I am just now realizing that it was our communication--which was through her agenda that she takes to and from school with class assignments--it got left behind weeks ago and neither of us knew this.

By the time I got all the kids home from school, I was struggling to keep my sanity.  I wanted to get away.  Not run away.  Though sometimes that thought crosses my mind too.  It was a challenge to even get dinner made.  Then I was tired of struggling with my day.  I finally reached out to my dear friend Emmy.  She came and got me, and we went to Barnes and Noble and sat in the little cafe with cookies and hot chocolate.  It was pleasantly quiet.  There was no chaos.  No struggles.  Just stories of children and laughter at their antics.  Eye rolls at their devious ways.  I felt worlds better after that.  Like I could carry on and be a nice mom.

It was a long day and I struggled through.  Some of the struggles are still there and need work.  Other struggles are past.  There are more struggles to come.  Some all at once and some over time.  It's how we deal with them. 

How do you deal with your struggles?

Comments

Emmy said…
So glad you got a hold of me and we were able to go out, it was such a nice time. And today I decree to be a stress free day for you :)
Macey said…
Okay, you win. Your day was MUCH worse than mine.
Thank God for friends like Emmy who can take care of you when you need it. :)
Judie said…
How do I deal with struggles? This is a deep question. I'll have to get back to you on that!
Susan Anderson said…
One way is like you, talking to a good friend or a sister.

=)
mormonhermitmom said…
I escape into a book, or play Jewel Quest, or read blogs...:)
Cheryl said…
If I can't reach a friend, I write. Works wonders.
RNSANE said…
Sometimes I write a poem as in my post today - or, as you did, call a friend.
Nicole said…
I'm sorry you had a rough day. I usually get a chai, go to the bookstore, walk around or schedule a "me night". My me night is having a big class of red wine with chocolate fudge brownie frozen yogurt and watching the chickiest flick I can find! :)
Linda Medrano said…
Some days are harder than others. I get very "bluesy" when Alex is deployed. It seems the rain is conspiring to keep me that way.
light comes after darkness,
Glad to see you smile for today.

delightful S take.
Thanks for sharing.
Lisa H. said…
Sometimes I call my Mom and tell her I want to ruan away to Australia (from the book 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day') and then we laugh because "some days are like that...even in Australia!" It makes me feel better every time.

Hang in there!
Donnie said…
Poor Baby. Hope things are better today.
Liz Mays said…
I'm sad to say that sometimes I just need to cry, and then take a long nap. I usually wake up more refreshed and ready to battle on.

Yay for some time with Emmy.
Nicole said…
struggles suck but they always make us a stronger person... even if we don't want to see it...
CB said…
Somedays are just like this right?

When I have a day that is a real struggle I try to get what I can done and go to bed early - even if I don't go to sleep just sitting in my bed and relaxing, reading a book, etc...is soo helpful and takes away the stress for me.
Urban Earthworm said…
I love the last sentence. Well, second to last. So true. It's how we deal with them. We have lots of struggles right now. I'm trying to be very mindful of how I deal with them.

Barnes and Noble can always be counted on for sanity.
Shell said…
What a rough day! How nice to have a friend that you can get away with, though!
Anonymous said…
I'm glad you have a good friend nearby who can help you out.

I deal with my struggles with cardio. I used to deal with them chocolate.
:(
Jenny said…
I'm so sorry you had such a terrible horrible very bad no good day.

Sometimes it really seems like life should be easier...why do things have to be so darned complicated?

If it's an consolation, though, I thought you did a great job in linking this week.

Struggles seem to be a subject we can all relate to.

Sending you a big hug, though!

A+

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