Towards the beginning of the summer, I began tests for a condition known as Achalasia. Achalasia is basically the weakening of the esophagus muscles which makes it difficult for food to pass into the stomach. After so many tests (it really wasn't that many compared to other conditions and illnesses), it had been confirmed that I did, in fact, have this rare condition and would need surgery to help improve it. I am the third, possibly fourth, generation to have this condition in my family (hopefully it stops at me).

I had my surgery for this condition a little more than three weeks ago, and throughout the preparation for surgery, the process of surgery itself, and recovery, I have learned a few important things I believe everyone should be reminded of.

1. We take the small things for granted so much.

In order to prep for the surgery, I had to be on a soft food diet three weeks before surgery following a clear liquid diet only two days before surgery. On top of that, I could not have anything to eat or drink the day after surgery followed by another clear liquid diet for two more days. After that, I was placed on a liquid diet only for a week which was then followed by another three weeks of a soft-food diet (I am still on the soft food diet... I get to eat whatever I want on Tuesday. I'm psyched). Needless to say, food was not something I had for a while, and it sucked. I never realized how much we take food for granted until I went through this. Food is ready for most of us whenever we want it, but it's not for a lot of people, and we really take that for granted among other things, too.

I had a difficult time moving around on my own which includes walking around, going to the bathroom, getting yourself food, whatever else you use your moving body for. Because of this, I needed help from other people, and I was often in pain the whole time, too. I learned to not take the people around me for granted, especially my mom who worked from home for a week, so she could take care of me, and the nurses who took care of me while I was in the hospital. You cannot take the people around you for granted. This is something all of us are guilty of. We are constantly taking the people in our lives for granted, and we don't even realize it.

Lastly, I also could not sleep in my own bed. This experience was absolutely terrible (not as bad as the food, I suppose), but this was the other big thing I realized I take for granted, along with many others. We have beds we can sleep in after a long day with cozy blankets and soft pillows, and we often forget the fact that many people in our world do not have this luxury.

2. It is okay to need help.

If you are anything like me, you probably have a difficult time asking people for help with anything because you are an independent bad ass who can handle herself, right? My ability to do a lot of things on my own was taken away from me, and I struggled with this so much. I am so used to doing everything on my own. I went from this to barely being able to use the bathroom on my own or get out of the recliner chair by myself. In fact, my boyfriend came to visit me a few days after surgery, and I couldn't get out of the recliner to let him in the house which took me awhile to get over. And it wasn't just that one small incident either with him either. I struggled to ask my sister to plug in my phone charger behind my bed, I struggled to ask my mom to help me take a shower, and I struggled to ask the people in my life to bring my textbooks back and forth to my cars since I am not able to carry them on my own yet. Why do I struggle to ask for help so much? Because I feel like the most annoying person ever. I feel like a burden upon these people who were all so kind to me. But this situation has taught me that it is okay to depend on others at times, and they're helping you out with everything you can't do out of love (and if they don't help you, then you have shitty people in your life and really need to get find better peeps).

3. Your faith life is going to be an up and down roller coaster, and it is never going to be consistent.

I struggled so much with my faith throughout all of this (I still do, honestly). I felt like God was very absent in my life throughout all of this when I really needed Him most. I talked to so many people about this because I was extremely unhappy with the fact that I felt so distant from God. I guess I thought that my faith would always be as strong as it was before the achalasia situation since I already went through the major struggle with faith, but I was so far from being right. We are always going to have our moments where our faith is really strong, and we are always going to have our moment when our faith is extremely weak — no matter what your beliefs are, no matter what your religion is. It's what strengthens our faith more and more. While I may not be at the point where my faith is stronger because of this experience (I'm actually struggling hardcore with it), I know I am on my way there.

Overall, be thankful for your food, drinks and bed, let the people in your life know how much you appreciate them, don't be afraid to ask for help, and remember that it's okay to question your faith.