Being a Woman

"I believe when we determine within our hearts that by and with the blessings of God our Heavenly Father we will accomplish a certain labor, God gives the ability to accomplish that labor; but when we lay down, when we become discouraged, when we look at the top of the mountain and say it is impossible to climb to the summit, while we never make an effort it will never be accomplished."

 -Heber J. Grant 

Sometimes being a girl is tough.  I never, ever want to change who I am, and I have always been so grateful that I was born a girl.  But I keep telling myself how much stronger I am getting from all the craziness I go through sometimes. Those silly things called hormones can just be a big pain.  My body isn't perfect (if you ever meet a woman who is, let me know because I want to meet her...), and sometimes my hormones crazy.  When this happens, the smallest things can get blown out of proportion and it can be a lot harder to stay cheerful. But somehow, I always manage. 



After about two weeks of just having some hard days, I figured it was time for a good week.  On my quote board in my entryway I wrote: "Relax and be happy."  That was it.  I have a lot on my plate right now, and I have a tendency to get stressed out and overwhelmed.  But I know this is not healthy.  This is how we get sick and grumpy.  So because there are skaters to coach, dishes to wash 3 times a day, house to be cleaned, meals to be made, and a husband to love, I decided to focus my efforts on relaxing through it all,  instead of going 1000 miles an hour and feeling like I am still not going to make it through. Relaxing and being happy makes for such a better life than the opposite.  (Though why is it so easy to resort to the other?)

I am only on day 3 of my personal goal, but I feel like it has been a success!  Tuesday I came home at 3 from a particularly tough day at the rink coaching.  All I wanted to do was tell my husband all about it and then let him hold me.  But alas, that wasn't an option.  So I put dinner in the crock pot and then I laid on the living room floor in corpse pose. I needed to meditate; I needed to prepare my body for my 5:30pm interval track workout.  This was a great idea! Please give yourself 5 minutes at the least if you ever feel like you are getting overwhelmed.  It will relax and calm you.  Afterwards, my mind was cleared and I even got some needed rest.  And of course, running later in the evening helped out too.  I am a strong believer in using exercise -induced endorphins to cure a bad day.  :) But that topic is for another day.

Today I woke up with a really bad pain in my left knee which has made it nearly impossible to walk without a limp.  But I have still tried to relax and be happy.  I still went to the gym and got a workout, modifying the exercises when needed so as to not hurt my knee further, and did not get stressed out because I couldn't exercise to the level that I normally can with a healthy knee.   This is a huge accomplishment to me, for I am can be very competitive. 

I am just so grateful for a loving husband.  Even over the last few weeks when I have not felt my best, he has never once criticized me.  He has always been there with his arms ready to wrap around me.  He has wiped away my tears and let me know that it is okay to cry sometimes.  Today he sacrificed leaving the house a few minutes later so that he could help rinse the lunch and breakfast dishes.  I hope he was on time for work!

I am also grateful for caring friends.  It probably doesn't seem like a big deal to them, but yesterday at a baby shower my friend motioned me to sit in the empty seat next to her.  These small things just make any woman feel good!  Especially during a tough time.  Thank you to everyone who has asked me how I am and genuinely showed interest in my well being.  It has made a world of difference to know that I have other ladies I can talk to and confide in.  It makes it easier since I don't have my sisters or mothers close by. 

As I keep moving forward each day, I thank my Father in Heaven for allowing me to be a woman.  I know that we as women have such a divine role in this world.  Let us go forth as women, strong, noble, and virtuous, always striving to make a difference in the world!