Just keep swimming...

Over the weekend i took my kids to watch Finding Dory. It is the sequel to Finding Nemo. Which was one of my favourite movie of all time.  The numbers at the box office were astounding, as everyone flocked to the big screen to watch it.

The movie was cute and funny (I won't ruin it for those who have yet to see it). I think Disney has a perfect way of creating wonderful messages for children to capture. The best part though, is that most of the time, the adults are the ones that take those messages and relate them to their own life and experiences.

I have been on this earth for quite some time now. I will not divulge, but i can hint that it is more than 25 and less than 100. :) And, in these many years of my life on this earth I have seen, lived and experienced quite a bit. Some things welcomed, and some, not so much.

Most of us talk about having children as being the pinnacle points in our lives, and for most of us, that holds true, but if i stop and think back to my younger years, I can tell you that i had lots of really important times in my life. Like getting my licence, that was a HUGE deal. It provided a freedom to me that I had never had before, it also came with the responsibility of being safe and paying attention to signs, I'm not going to lie, it was really scary! Then there was my choice of school. After high school I needed to decide who i was going to be for the rest of my life. Really? That's a huge deal, isn't it? I started off in one field and i ended up in a completely different one. I realized that my original choice wasn't for me so I didn't pause and cry, i just moved toward the area of study that was more like me. Which of course turned out to be talking, interviewing, and socializing in the broadcast world, not so terrible. :)

My point is, that in every stage my life was different and filled with different experiences. Very important decisions and choices. Along the way i met some really special people; people that have become very important to me in my adult life. There were also situations that happened to me that didn't feel great or hurt me at the time; and I lived those as well.

When I was little, my parents, like most parents, tried their best to protect me from the world. From all things evil, bad and scary. They did their best to shield me when i needed to be protected, and help me when I was in trouble. The one thing my parents did a great job of, was teaching me how to get up and shake it off. Whether it was from a fall off my bike or a fight with my friend or maybe not achieving what i expected. They didn't allow me to dwell. Instead, they decided to tell me that it was done and over and i need to be strong, move on and it will be ok!

I consider myself to be a logical person, a person that tries her best to live well and be well and love well. I am far from perfect. Anyone who knows me, knows i recognize, that me and perfect are most often, opposite. But i try my best to get up off the bike, rub the blood off my scrapes and get back on.

If we all gave up when it got hard, or when we fell would we ever accomplish what he have? Sometimes the hardest things have the most impact, on who we are and what we discover. I try to mimic my parents's philosophy of "suck it up butter cup", and sometimes i get scowls from my kids because they think I may be a bit harsh, ok, who am I kidding, most people think that sometimes I am a bit harsh. But my kids know that I am trying to teach them that life will get hard, not maybe, but it WILL get hard at times. There will be decisions that they will make that can greatly impact many years of their lives. They will fall and scrape their knees, they will fail at some things, and they will meet people that will intentionally hurt them. And when that happens, I  hope and pray that they remember my words and my belief, like the ones my parents taught me.

Staying still when you are hurting or making a big decision to change something, may feel the most comfortable and less complicated, and I understand that. But if you try and get up and push through it, i promise you, that moving feels a lot better in the end. Move forward and be excited for the next day, the next moment and the next happy time. My kids will know that they can get up, move on and just keep swimming, just keep swimming, so they can have the opportunity to discover the world and all things wonderful.

that's my peace today!