Everyone needs someone in their family who understands
technology, someone to call when you get that blue screen of death and can talk
you down off the ledge when you are sure your computer is dying. My brother in
law is my person. Years ago I would call
him and it would go something like this: “Hey so my computer is frozen and
making a dying cat sound. Is that bad?” or “Hey so the picture on my monitor is
upside down, is that bad?” or “Hey my computer flashed a purple light three
times and now all the words are in Chinese, is that bad?” His response was
always one simple question, “Did you reboot?” Doh! It took me awhile to
realize, gotta try rebooting before I panic-dial my bro computer-911. Reboot is
magical, it completely somehow restores everything and makes the world back to
the way it should be! Love me some reboot.
Olympics are in full swing and our house has nothing but
love for MP. I recently saw a story
circulating discussing how after the height of his glory following the London
Olympics when Michael got busted several times for DUI’s mentally and
emotionally he was at an all-time low.
And feeling like he wasn’t worth anything he contemplated suicide. We have a huge tendency in this country to
put our athletes on pedestals and honestly who deserved to be idealized more than
the most decorated Olympian of all time. But feeling as though his mistakes
outshine all his accomplishments he wanted to end his life. A good friend of his gave him a shoulder to
lean on, picked him up and drove his butt to rehab and when he dropped him off;
he gave him a copy of this:
For the first time in his life Michael felt that he had
purpose. Again it’s amazing to think someone as talented, disciplined,
and accomplished as he is did not feel as though he had purpose. He made major changes in his life and here he
is winning more medals in Rio! He came back with purpose. He underwent a major reboot.
In 2011 I was attempting a major reboot in my physical
health but the changes I made didn’t last.
As much as I worked on my physical transformation that year I did not
work on my mental transformation nearly enough.
When challenges arose, I crumbled and gained the weight all back. During that year I remember vividly feeling unsatisfied
deep in my soul with where my life was. Ever feel like your bogged down in your roles
as a wife and mom and that the sum total of your contribution to society feels
like wiping noses, bottoms and kitchen counters? Even in my career which has
purpose of helping others you often feel as though everyone is cranky and
unappreciative (because really people in pain are rightfully cranky) and the
greater good ends up feeling a lot…lesser.
I jotted down a job description at the time, for what I wanted to do. Then I literally tried imagining a real job
out there that fit the description. Then
I actually looked for it. I started with
my large employer thinking well maybe they had a better place for me that I could transfer to and even
went as far as to inquire online about a position open with the YMCA. The Y
never replied, the tide of life and all my demands swept me out to sea and I
continued on much in the state I was in, feeling relatively purposeless for
several more years.
Rick Warren actually says in his book, “Trusting God
completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life. You
expect Him to keep His promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible
when necessary.” I wish I had read that
then, I wish I had trusted him more, I wish I hadn’t pushed those hopes and
dreams down for so long, but I did. Stay tuned for more about what happened next....
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