Most people who know me consider me a pretty upbeat, energetic person, and yet if you delved into my life story there are plenty of moments when I could have gone to a very dark place. I know that I am not alone– we all have challenges in life and our own crosses to bear, but the choice is solely ours as to how we let things affect us.
This past weekend, as I gave my grandmother’s eulogy, many may have been surprised that I did not cry once, and my voice barely cracked during my speech. It is not that I am made of steel, but I have survived all these years by always trying to focus on the positive. How many people get to grow up with their grandmother the way that I did? What a gift that she got to be with us for 97 years, and that my son will always have his special memories of being with her. She got to see me through most major stages of life, and what more could I ask for?
Since I’ve returned from my trip to New York, I’ve focused on projects, both at work and home that give me things to look forward to– it is my way of coping. In order to maintain a balanced attitude about life I will go out of my way to make sure that the good outweighs the bad. I don’t know whether I was just naturally wired this way, but I do know that my grandmother did her best not to dwell on the bad. She believed in accepting the things that cannot be changed and moving forward, and this is now my way of surviving.
Nothing will work out perfectly according to our plans or our timeframes, so we have to accept these facts and play with the hand we are dealt in life. Many would say I started off with a pretty crappy hand– and I would agree. Yet look at how things have turned out. Hopefully my story proves that you can turn a seemingly losing hand into a winning won, as long as you stay focused and positive.
By Regina A. DeMeo, Esq.
