Inspiration?

About a month ago I commented on my friends facebook page some words of encouragement because of the hard time she was going through. She replied to me that I was an Inspiration to her. And I have been thinking about it ever since.

I don't think that what I do is inspirational. I do what I have to. I deal with the hand that I have been dealt. I try to be positive about it because life is way to short to be bitchy and cranky about the things you can't change. Maybe that is what is Inspirational.

I am inspired by many of my friends who have taken on many challenges and faced them head on. I have many friends that are single Mom's that sacrifice so much for their kids. I have a girlfriend that overcame a horrible childhood to become a wonderful wife and mother. I know people who have overcome so many hardships and still smile about the little things in life.

Life is hard. I don't think it is supposed to be easy. I think that we are supposed to be faced with hard choices, and it is how we face those choices that make us who we are. Yes, it probably would have been easier to make the choice to put Dad in an assisted living center, and to put Sis in a group home, so I could be free of the burden of taking care of them. But what kind of person would I have become? I always knew that I would end up looking after my sister. I honestly think she is the reason I was born. I believe that God knew that my Sister would need someone to look after her. I am please to have made that choice! I didn't expect it to be such a hard choice, but I know I made the right one.

Then when it came time to help my Dad, it was a harder choice. Just because I knew that I would have to give up my job, and everything that involved. I loved my job and I was damn good at it. I loved the people I worked with, and I was happy. But family comes first. Or at least it should.

How many people really make that choice though? How many people put family first? Most parents do put their children first, but how many children put their parents first? How many of our elderly that are in nursing homes and assisted living center's being cared for my stranger's have children that could be taking care of them? Maybe that is why I am inspirational?

I never planned on being an Ispiration to anyone. I just try to do the best I can with the hand that I have been dealt. I don't see the benefit of complaining about a situation that I have limited control over. Life is short. Life is hard, but you only make it harder, and more miserable if you choose to see the negative instead of embracing the positive. Life is a series of choices and it is what you make it. Happiness is a choice. It is a reaction to the world around you. Find joy in the simple things. The soft fur of a pet, the sound of the wind. The smell of the rain, The warmth of the sun. Take Pleasure in the smile of a child. The smell of spring flowers. The smell of the damp leaves in fall. The touch of a snowflake on your face. The coo of a newborn baby. The life all around you. Enjoy it, embrace it. Take your joy and your happiness anyway you can get it. Smile, life is a adventure that is supposed to wear you out. You only get one shot at this joy ride. Make it the best ride you can!