I spent the majority of my childhood unlike most kids. I had one of the most stable childhoods ever but also found myself in a constant state of worry. Why? No clue. I worried about school, I worried about the behavior of others, I worried about making common mistakes. Not normal for someone with less than a decade of life experience. But just like any other stage in life, I grew out of it.
As I got older, and I was at an age where most of my life decisions were my own to make, I became more in control, and less of a worrier. I also learned that there were ways to combat worry when it did come around, like working out, writing, and other alternatives to sitting in a state of nervousness.
Age meant I was more in control of my life, but as I began reaching milestones like college graduation, the worrying seemed to creep its way back into my oh-so-stable and safe life that I had created. Little did I know worry, and nervousness was sometimes a good thing, it means you are uncomfortable and things are changing, and no one wants a stagnant life that never changes. So as uncomfortable as it already was I began embracing the uncertainty my life was bringing my way, and all the nervousness that came beautifully wrapped up in it.
I quickly learned that you would never be able to fully control your life, the decisions or actions of people in your life, or the entirety of which way your life decides to play out. What can you control? The level in which you accept your life fully for what it is and has been, and if you accept the people in your life fully for who they are and you remain unapologetic about it all. Don’t become the person so worried about the bad things that could happen that they miss out on the good things in their life. Don’t become the person so nervous and controlling that you push the ones you care about away because their differences sometimes make you uncomfortable.
If you are worried it is because you are living a life you care enough about that you are concerned about what it might turn into, and that’s a good thing, but don’t let it ruin the moments in between your life changing.
Accept people for who they are, you are not perfect and neither are they. If they are in your life chances are they are making an effort to be there and have overlooked many of the qualities you have that they might find different from there’s, but they are still there, without judgment accepting you with every flaw, and every misstep you may make.
Accept your life for exactly what it is and for what it has been. The past may have been shaky but you are no longer there, so be thankful for all it has made you, and don’t let it make you worry. I’m sure there are many ironic moments in your life that you thought never would happen. Let your life surprise you, be patient with those around you, and be so grateful for your life, and trusting in where it is headed that you don’t have time to worry about the things that could happen, because you will spend a lot of Kodak moments subconsciously worried about what may never happen. You could be smiling in a photograph but your mind could be a million other places. Let the big picture of your life be authentic, and live in the moment.
