Facing Adversity

I am no expert in facing adversity.
I have faced quite a few adverse situations in my 47 years here on good ole Earth.

Losing a job, going through divorce, caring for an ailing family member - these are just a few situations that come to mind when I consider adverse situations.

My dear friend Eric was determined to enjoy every day of life he was given until the very end. They had a halloween bash, took a trip to Disney World and were planning a wedding when the cancer took him in November of last year. At 52, he touched so many lives and was a good friend, brother, uncle and confidant to many who knew him.  I was re-organizing the candle shelves on Saturday and came across a photo from one of our trips to a Star Trek convention. It made me smile and I thank God that he blessed me with a friend like Eric when I needed it so.

People we lose on this Earth are in our memories. Knowing the Nashville Predators made it to the playoffs again, I think of Eric every time I watch the games.

I was talking to my sister in law last night and her mother in law is going through chemo and not handling the situation well. I am sure this woman is tired and scared as anyone would be going through chemo and being told you only have 2 years left (maybe even less).

Some get this type of news and come out fighting and go to the best doctors they can find to fight it and still lose the battle.

My point in comparing these two individuals is that everyone faces horrible news and situations very differently. There is no right or wrong way to handle it. However, people's lives up to that point definitely color their attitude when they get this horrible diagnosis.

If you have not personally ever dealt with clinical depression, or anxiety, you cannot know what it is like for someone going through it. It is not something you can snap your fingers and get through. Some need counseling, some need medication (for the rest of their lives in some cases) and some just work through it by writing and talking to their support system (aka friends, co-workers, etc.)

I am begging you to be kind to those dealing with depression. You don't know what is going through their mind and I assure you self-talk in these situations is not good at all. Never tell a person who is depressed to get over themselves or to stop being a baby.

I have many things in my personal arsenal to fight off depression when it threatens to pay me a visit. I choose to call a friend, turn on praise music or listen to a devotional to bump my mind back onto the right track. Sometimes I just hash it all out with my husband and he helps me make sense of it all.

Kindness counts and it does make a difference. You just may never see what your kindness does for others, but I promise you, it leaves ripples in the water of life.