Just KEEP Swimming

This week ended up being a great week. I got some much-needed rest after Disneyland! I received some really great news from my doctor and feel extremely hopeful about what the future holds. I can’t wait to share in more depth what the results from the doctor were but that is another post that I’m not quite ready to write about yet. I have learned this past year that despite what is happening I need to just keep going or swimming! I have had to push through many adversities and am proud to say that I continue to push and thrive.

On Saturday, I was feeling good and took my daughter to swim lessons. Yes, she is only one but I believe in children swimming at an early age! This is a Mommy and me swim lesson so I go in the pool with her. I was holding her, getting ready to go in the pool and feeling like this is going to be a great day. My stepson was there to watch his little sister swim, her Grammie and cousins tagged along too. Then I felt something on my neck. I thought it was a piece of my hair caught up in my bathing suit, so I reached back to untangle the hair. Little did I know that it was cute little bee sitting on my neck. As I reached back the little guy decide to sting me. I have not been stung since I was a little kid and it hurt. It hurt really bad. I didn’t know what it was at first, all I knew is that it hurt and when I look at my hand there was a little something sticking out of it. There was a guy standing close by and he said “oh yea, it was a honey bee you just got stung.” Oh gee, thanks! I was pretty frustrated that this just happened and it stung me right on the palm of my hand. I knew this half hour swimming lesson was going to be challenging now that I had to hold my daughter while my hand was hurting. But I decided to Just KEEP swimming. I had no choice really but to suck it up and go on.

This is an easy example of pushing through hard times. Some may say it was just a bee sting and not the end of the world. That is the truth but to me it was a big deal. I didn’t like that it happened and could have made all sorts of choices to let it ruin my time with my daughter and my day. I did not let that happen. When I share in a later post what happened to me after I had my daughter you see that this little bee sting was nothing! The results from my doctor are a follow up from that event and the news was great. Nothing to be concerned about for the future.

I have found that when I am comforting someone else in their hard times, I have all sorts of great advice that seems so easy. I can point out to them how it could be worse, or how things have improved, or how things will improve. Whatever the case may be when I am comforting others, it’s not me. It’s not me going through what they are going through. This past year when I have had hard times others have tried to comfort me. I appreciate it and value how much others care for me, but when it is you, trying to deal with whatever the situation is. It’s. Not. Easy. Whether you are the one going through something or whether you are the friend providing comfort there is a lesson here in my bee sting story! My daughter had a wonderful time at her swim lesson! My stepson loved watching his sister swim. Her Grammie and her cousins were excited to see her dunk her face in the water. Then we went on to go to the movies and enjoy our afternoon. I tried to forget about the bee sting and enjoy my day.

No matter what obstacle or adversity you face let us remember if it’s you going through it, accept the comfort and try so hard to be positive. If you are the one comforting, provide that comfort but also realize that others have a right to be mad and upset about their situation. It’s sometimes hard to sit with emotions that are not positive but I believe it’s a healthy thing to do just as long as you don’t get stuck in them. The one thing that all of us can remember is times are hard but no matter what Just KEEP Swimming. Find joy in whatever moments you can. Be mad or sad whenever you want to, but don’t stay there. Find ways to encourage yourself and keep going.

-Tracy @mommytracerq