This blog began during a dark season of life; one when I was overwhelmed with emotion. Some of the best writing I’ve ever done has come during challenging times when I’ve been able to turn emotions into words. For the past year, I’ve been so focused on building a business and so fortunate to have stable sight that I’ve almost been apathetic at times; detached from emotion. This past week I’ve noticed some changes in my sight and while it might be no big deal (I still need to get to the doctor), the unsettling thought that things could be changing has brought back quite a few emotions that I haven’t felt in a long time.
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Through the past 18 years I’ve lost a significant portion of my central sight (thanks to Best Disease). There’s no telling when I’ll lose more and there’s no cure. That sporadic, unpredictable presentation of the condition is hard to grapple with and each time that I lose sight it hurts the same but that pain is always replaced with hope. The turnover from hurt to hope has gotten quicker over time and that’s what this blog is all about – perspective.
Blessings, not burdens.
The early years of my condition were marked with confusion, frustration, discouragement, timidness, fear and anxiousness. I didn’t understand why this was happening to me and it felt like life wasn’t fair (I’ve since learned that it’s not fair for anyone). I won’t get into it here because I written about it before (here) but a specific season of life changed my perspective in a way that changed my life.
“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.”
Christine Caine
I’ve come to believe that everything happens for a reason and that if we look at things with the right perspective, all obstacles are opportunities, all resistance provides a platform to build resilience and all struggle is a chance to find strength. This means that I have no burdens, only blessings. We don’t get to choose what happens to us but we can always control how we respond and I choose to use this battle to bring out the best in me (more here).
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
Helen Keller
That mindset doesn’t make hardship hurt any less, but it helps me handle it well. I choose to see the adversities we face as vehicles for growth and chances to step more into who we are supposed to be. The fact that I’m losing eyesight is hard, but what I’ve lost in sight, I’ve gained in vision. Each time that I’m pushed off of the path I’m on, there’s a trust that it’s a detour and not a dead-end. Every hard thing in life (chosen by me and chosen for me) has led me to something amazing that I wouldn’t have found otherwise – I’m being redirected to where I need to go.
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I hope that the words above met you where you needed them and that whatever burdens that you’re carrying can soon become blessings. Please know that you’re not alone in what you’re going through and that I’d love to talk more about anything that could help. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me with a burden.
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
Haruki Murakami
Be planted; not buried.
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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