FREE…

Aren’t birthdays great?  I wrote a message Wednesday, (9/18) thanking everyone involved in such remarkable comments.  They all meant A LOT to me!  I’m thanking again, for some that might have missed that message.

Didn’t we all, at some age, maybe mid-30s or so, start to think about those birthdays; how another year just flew by, and here is the next birthday!  I say, bring it on!  I love these days, birthdays and all.  I say look at the responses I got; close to 50 or so, and really, that’s the kindness of people, because I haven’t seen a lot of you guys in years!  Unbelievable.

Having said that, I never would have thought that I would say how much I’m starting to dig writing; which I’m also starting to believe, this helps me keep in touch with a lot of you.  I also notice that a lot of people have written a number of pieces out there, and some really flip me out, I love that!  Then there are others that say something to the effect of,  “I really can’t write something like that”.  I say, sure you can.  Write anything, generally something you have knowledge of.  Or something that you don’t; something that you’re looking for answers to.  So as we know, I now have experience of hospitals, and the brain issues!  Not buy my choice at first, but I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned, which I can tell you, it makes me feel free to write about things that I couldn’t do 5 years ago.  I like that word, FREE.  Any of us can do whatever we want to do, if we open ourselves up, and feel FREE.  It’s amazing.  I went to an event this past weekend, a friend (and boss at one time), had a get together with old friends, and clients of his at his studio.  By the way, it was a great party;  I saw people that I haven’t seen in years, and a lot of conversation turned to my surgeries.  A lot of “I’m sorry”, came from mouths of many, but I stopped them, and told them how I think that my first surgery was my greatest day in my life, and how it provided me my FREEDOM!  Sure, my experience might be a little out there, but I think we all have had experiences that have changed our lives, and some people don’t even know it!!  Think about events that have shaped your personality, in a positive way; those are things that you can say you reacted to, and this is how you think now.  It’s amazing; no matter how our lives went, and are still going, by the way, sometimes we keep things in, and that just multiplies our anxiety!  Let things out, converse, why do you think I keep talking about my experiences?  I need to, it’s my freedom to de-stress  myself.  That’s a HUGE step, for anybody, to not stress out.  I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been told, “don’t stress about that”, not one.  Know what causes stress?  Control.  All of us want to have an easy way in our lives, and you can: forget your feeling that you have to have control.  Do it!  You will start to feel more upbeat, and FREE!  If I’m asked a question, and I don’t know the answer, I give up the issue of control, and say, “I don’t know”.  Didn’t think that way a few years ago, but now it’s real.  If I don’t know, well, I don’t know!  Can’t feel bad about not knowing, we all go through that; so give it up, that control thing.

I’m going to let you on to something about me, (as if that’s a surprise!).  First surgery, I now realize how hard it hit me.  For a few years, I just wanted to “get back”.  What that was is way beyond me!  For about 3-4 months, i had people, my friends, running my life.  I had people painting my place, cleaning my carpets, trading out my new appliances, doing my bills, for months.  I couldn’t do it.  Basically, they ran my life: from business, to personal, a kind of restructure of me!  Talk about having NO control!  But all of this allowed me to start reacting to this FREEDOM that I was starting to feel.  I had NO control in my life, and I was really enjoying this feeling!  My point here, as I said before, is start to think about what was the best moment of your life, and how did that affect you.  To some degree, it did affect you.  So why not amplify what you felt from that, and give yourselves a pat on the back, because you did something great for yourself; that was the greatest moment, or day , of your life!!!!  Take confidence in that; that will help you give up the control thing, because really, who cares?  You are you, and you do what you do, who can ask for more.  Indulge yourself in the that great moment that you experienced!   This all adds pleasure to our lives, and what could be better?  That’s why all of those responses that I got a few days ago for my birthday, meant so much to me.  Sure, it was simple,  but it sure is good having friends that feel that way!

So do yourself a favor;  go out there, pat yourself on the back, give up the control, and say this is me; take it or leave it, because I am a really great person!