Freedom and a lot of faith

I celebrate every January 7 as the anniversary of my "freedom," the day I was fired from my job as managing editor of a weekly newsletter.

It was a job that was literally killing me. I couldn't sleep or eat and was exhausted. The stress was wicked and threw me deeper into tunnels of depression. I wasn't a very good wife and mom during those final months of 1991, and my husband and son deserved far better than I was giving them.

I learned the hard way that NO job is worth endangering your health or peace of mind. But I was too afraid to step away on my own. My boss did it for me.

Sometimes we think we'll never recover from a traumatic event like that. However, sometimes it turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to us. I can vouch for that personally.

Occasionally we need a good kick in the seat of the pants to move forward in life. Life is all about moving forward and learning from the past. I needed a new direction, new purpose in life, but had no idea where to find it until I stopped long enough to "listen." I could do nothing else but "listen" to the voices and messages I had been ignoring a long time.

I've talked to many individuals, both survivors and caregivers, who have or are coping with brain-related injuries, illnesses and diseases. Many have shared that life took on a whole new meaning and purpose when the injury, illness or diagnosis happened. A job loss may not be life threatening, but the emotions can be the same no matter how our "planned" world is knocked off its axis.

Sometimes we are forced to stop, focus, plan and look deep within ourselves, and not just "deal" with everyday life. And when we do, we may hear music that we've never pay attention to before. We may feel the pulse of our own body when we tune out everything else.

The biggest lesson I've learned in the past 21 years is that we all need to create our own "freedom" from what is detracting us from really LIVING. It also takes a great deal of faith in ourselves and a higher power, whatever that is for you. The survivors and caregivers who have that duel faith are the ones that seem happier and more appreciative of the new life they're living, even if has numerous challenges.

Yeah, I know you've heard it a million times, but it's true: we are much stronger than we ever give ourselves credit. What new "freedom" are you going to seek on YOUR terms?