Summing It Up In Six Words

A few years ago, I came across the book “Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure.”  So much can be said with just a half dozen words, and I loved the idea of explaining my current life situation in six words. And, it’s been an evolution.

My first six-word life description after Julia was born was “Too much worrying ruins nearly everything.” I don’t think I’m alone in being a parent that worries. And, when your child has complex medical and developmental issues, the amount of things there are to worry about multiplies. At that point in my life, the worry was nearly overpowering me, and I knew it. However, the twisted up part of worrying is that even if you recognize it, it can still be hard to control it.  I knew that my tendency to hold on tightly to my stress (an understatement) was ruining my happiness and dragging down those closest to me.  But, I needed to find better coping strategies. And, although I’ve gotten better at letting go of the worry, it’s still a work-in-progress.

Next came “Not quite sure if I’m happy.” One of the things I’ve struggled with over the years is the fact that my life is different…different than what I expected and different than the lives of most people around me. For me, it often seemed that it was so much easier for other families to be happy because they had fewer challenges. I thought that if I could be in their situation instead of my own, I would be more content and happier.

But, the truth is that I will never be in their situation, and that’s not a bad thing. Now, I’m “Creating my own happily ever after.” My life is a different kind of special that is uniquely mine, and it comes with its own challenges and its own rewards. It’s up to me to overcome the challenges and find the joy.

I’m making progress all the time, and my life has moments of blinding happiness and soul-deep contentment. Maybe my next six-word summary will be, “Blissed out almost all the time.”

What are your six words?