Through the challenges that I experience in life, as bad as things may seem to be, in the grand scheme of things they are not as bad as they seem. There is so many other things that could be so bad and this week I realized that I need to stop and be grateful for all the things that I have in my life.

There is no doubt in my life that I have had a host of challenges over the years, but one redeeming quality about me is that I am resilient and overcome my struggles. Although I have my challenges of being autistic and multiple mental health diagnoses, I continue to rise above the struggles that I face. There are days that I think about the many flaws of life that are out there. Many times, they are of little value or matter in my life. I just make a bigger deal of things and put things out of proportion because of past behavior that I learned was not healthy for me.

There were so many opportunities in my life that things could have gone the wrong way for me. It has taken countless times to learn the mistakes I made and pick up the pieces and move forward from the things that I have done in life. Some things I regret in life because in all honesty, that is not who I really am in life. It is not the part that I want others to see in me. I have so much potential in life, yet I let things that have no value or merit clog up my headspace and let my life at times go the other way.

I am truly grateful for the times that divine intervention has stepped in and I was able to at least get back on the right track. Without it, there is no telling where I could be. It would not be where I am right now. This week, I had a small glimpse of what life could be like if I had not continued to bounce back from adversity when I go off the path where I need to be. From what I glimpsed into this past week was not good and it made me realize that I need to be grateful for all the things I have in life and not take them for granted.

I’ll admit that I am thankful for the many professionals that I have interacted with in life that had some positive involvement that made my life what it is. Without them, I may not be where I am today because in the current world, systems are complexly challenged and being able to get the care that I am accustomed to at times is not always a guarantee. If it had not been for some of those dedicated professionals who sometimes stepped out of their bounds to ensure that my needs were met in the best way possible, it is very uncertain that I would be here where I am today.

Life can be what you make it though. You can choose to not do what is necessary to care for your needs so you can overcome the struggles and fall into the negative way that systems can be and choose to live that way, or you can fight the doubters and do what is needed to be done by overcoming adversity and bouncing back from the challenges that you face in life.

No matter what life throws at you, there is always a positive piece of the situation you can get out of it. One must choose to see the bright side of life and not allow themselves to wallow in the self-pity of their struggles and challenges. It is a choice that you make in life. For me, I chose the brighter side of life, although it hasn’t been easy, I make it that way because I know how worse life could be if I do not do what is necessary for me to be independent and live the life that I choose to live.