This has been quite a long week for me. 🕔🕙
Finally returned to work (virtually) after being off more than two weeks and I am super proud I didn’t let myself work outside of work hours or become overwhelmed. 👏🏽
Excited about starting my Pinterest business page which has already made more impressions than I thought I could get. 🥳
I am also proud to have found motivation to work out every day. Thank you to @masterconsistency for the push on Tuesday! 💪🏽
Happy Friday! 💮
Today I want to share a story from one of my best friends, Aeisha. She is a Lupus Warrior and was kind enough to let me interview her. She also gave me permission to share her story with my readers.
Q: How old are you?
A: 28.
Q: When were you diagnosed with Lupus?
A: October 2012.
Q: What was your initial reaction to your diagnosis?
A: I thought I was going to die.
Q: What has been the most challenging part of living with Lupus? Has it held you back or prevented you from doing things you have wanted to do?
A: The most challenging part of living with Lupus is not being able to travel as much as I am used to. My lupus caused me to have kidney failure. Now I am on dialysis and it’s hard to just get up and go like regular people. Everything has to be planned.
Q: Are there any organizations/groups that have helped inform you more about Lupus?
A: There are a lot of people on Instagram that I follow and follow me because we share this same disease. It’s comforting to know that I am not alone.
Q: What are some misconceptions people have about Lupus that you have faced?
A: There are people that think those with Lupus are lazy. Just because you can’t physically see my disability, it doesn’t mean that it is not there.
Q: Where are you today with your Lupus?
A: Today, I am still taking my monthly infusions, which I think is helping. I haven’t felt any pain since getting on it. “Fingers crossed!” I still am on dialysis. I am also on the transplant list waiting for a donor.
Q: What keeps you motivated?
A: My education keeps me motivated. The fact that I’m working towards a goal keeps me going.
Q: Any final thoughts or words you want to share?
A: Don’t let anybody say you can’t be!
Lupus affects every person differently. Despite Aeisha’s struggles with this disease, she doesn’t let it keep her down and still works towards her goals. Aeisha is actually receiving her BA this month in Social Work from Rutgers University. So not only is Aeisha fighting her own battle everyday but she is working towards being able to help others in need. She is the definition of a Lupus Warrior!
Hi all,
This is a rather late post considering it is now March! However, I still wanted to share some of my goals for 2020 because I feel it is a way to hold myself accountable. I want to have a way to reflect on what I got done and what still needs work throughout the year as well as at the end. So here it goes!
Friendships…I have learned many things about this wonderful category of relationships throughout my life. Some lessons have been quite difficult especially getting older. So many times I have had falling outs with different individuals and then we have made up. This time around as a woman in my 30s (TOTALLY can’t believe I just wrote that lol) I have learned some relationships should be let go. No matter how much time, love, effort, and memories were created/shared, sometimes you just grow apart despite trying to find ways to stay attached or connected.
Thinking specifically about two people I grew up with and the fact that I will probably always call them my best friends, I know we took different paths in life, like COMPLETELY different. Once I returned home from college and found a full time job, I quickly jumped into my next degree program all while having a daughter and learning to accept that she would not grow up in a two parent home. Although we shared some similarities, our goals did not align. Yes we probably all wanted to be successful, be there for our families, while still maintaining a social life but our definitions of what that looked like were not the same.
I am happy to see that we have all grown and accomplished milestones in our lives. Our journeys took us different directions and that is okay. There is a certain point we reach in our lives where we have to begin surrounding ourselves with like minded people and at times it may be hard to accept that our once best friends are not those people.
This was definitely a struggle for me. I can tell you that I spent many nights thinking about this before bed and many long drives where it would cross my mind. For the most part, it was specific to one person because things did not really end well. We had some differences and it kept bothering me. With time though, it has become something I accept. The more I kept dwelling on it, the more I realized the relationship was not one full of motivation or growth and at this point in my life, that is what I need. I still think about it at times but I am happy with where I am in my life where my focus has shifted to my career, mom life, and health.
Be okay with change. Accept what is. Only worry about you can control!
This year like others I have a lot to be grateful for. The big difference for me this year was I opted out of writing some long thank you on social media and sending out a ton of Happy Thanksgiving text messages. Reason why: it’s not necessary. This past year has taught me many things and one of those is to live in the moment and focus on the ones around me.
However, I did want to write a post on here to share with you what I am thankful thus far. This year I am thankful for my family. We are such a close knit unit and are there for each other in times of need. I cannot express how many times my mom, sister, dad, or other relative has helped me out. Not just them but my best friends and fiance have been great with helping out with childcare for my little guy. It is so difficult to find people to help you and they have definitely come through.
I am also thankful for the strides I have made in my career. I am finally at a place that I enjoy coming to daily and feel inspired. This has been such a significant part in my life recently and I cannot express the appreciation I have. The process was long but I made it with God’s assistance.
The one aspect I am most grateful for is the changes I have decided to make. Being more positive and optimistic has made me feel so different inside. I have also had to accept that some big things in life are beginning to change on their own due to personal growth and development. After a conversation I had with a close friend, I realize this is okay. This is simply life happening and if things are meant to be they will be!
Many blessings are here and many more are sure to come. There will be ups and downs along the road but remain thankful for each part of the journey. It all makes you who you are and will determine who you become.
I have been going through many changes in my life primarily in my career. These changes have been positive and have really made me realize I can apply positivism in different aspects of my life. This along with conversations with loved ones have persuaded me and motivated me to make some changes.
I use to think I was a really optimistic person but because I am human I have found myself sometimes having negative thoughts. That could range from being judgmental to the way I speak to others when I get upset or frustrated. Therefore, at the beginning of this month, I began a gratitude challenge and it really affected my outlook on life.
This month I decided to put on the optimistic/positive lenses on my glasses and have begun to look at life more differently. With so many blessings around me, I have realized there is no time to dwell on negativity or pettiness. I have to let others be and worry about myself because if change is difficult to do, it is basically impossible to make others do it.
This all sounds great and very easy however it is not! Changing is a difficult thing that takes a lot of will and self-control. I am very conscious of stopping my negative or judgmental thoughts but when it comes to action, it reached another level of difficulty.
Very recently, I had a falling out with a close friend. We spoke about the situation via text and I thought it was put to rest (to an extent). However, shortly after I noticed she stopped watching my stories on social media. YES, it sounds super petty that I even noticed but this is a close friend I am referring to. I was bothered by this because that takes EFFORT. To purposely stop watching someone’s stories either takes the push of a mute button or just physically skipping over selecting that person on your timeline. I was not sure what to think of it and considered addressing it but I did not. That same friend’s birthday rolled around and I actually considered not even saying happy birthday. This is where I had to take control of myself and say do the right thing.
You love this person and although they have resorted to this type of pettiness, do you really want to do the same? How does this play into what you are trying to do with your life today? How will you feel if you skip this person’s special day? These are all of the questions I asked myself throughout the day. Finally, when 6pm came around, I made the decision to send a simple birthday text. It was not my usual long mushy text but it was happy birthday text nonetheless. When I say being the bigger person in this situation was hard, it was HARD! My pride inner voice kept trying to sucker me in but I did not allow it.
I want to put out good into this world. I want to bring positivism and optimism to those around me. This can only start with myself. I know at times I will make mistakes but ultimately I will be making conscious effort to avoid those but also to accept when I do fall short and address that. I feel this is a great way to end the year and also bring into the new year.
Good vibes only & positive thoughts mostly!
Courage to keep changing, faith to keep pushing, love to keep spreading!
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