VT Works

It always fascinates me a little how the universe constructs itself. Ideas come and go, people walk out of your life as quickly as they walked in, and our sense of self seems to change as every season passes. Sometimes the sun is shining on the inside, while other times the inner hurricane of despair takes up residence for what seems like an eternity. Just like the external seasons, though, things eventually change. My favorite new phrase has become “this, too, shall pass”.

Are you hurting or feeling despair? Are you feeling down over the loss of a loved one, or perhaps a friendship or relationship has ended and you are in mourning?

Don’t worry. This, too, shall pass

Are things going well? Are you as happy with your life as you have ever been and you can see your proverbial garden blossoming with every passing day?

Don’t worry. This, too, shall pass.

Life is forever changing. The rocks, the water, the air, our energy – all of it will change. It’s an interesting paradigm considering most humans I’ve met don’t like change, and we fight against it handily. A book I read recently challenged the idea of change, asking:

Why does familiarity always win? Why do we choose to stay in the familiar and accept being miserable instead of choosing to explore the unknown in search for happiness?

I continue to work to find personal answers to the question.

As I have shared in recent posts, 2023 has been a tough year for me. Without reviewing all details, just understand both my personal and professional lives have been jolted in ways I never saw coming, both have taken months to emotionally resolve, and both continue to be a work in progress. I had never imagined being in a toxic relationship again after my divorce, but there I was, living the same experience on a much greater scale. I never imagined contemplating an exit from Vision Therapy based on someone else’s timeline, but there I was, deep in thought. I never imagined hearing a doctor say one of my children may not out live me as we reviewed survivability rates, but there I was, doing all I could to be strong for my kid.

Some may say a higher power was testing me, some may say it was a string of bad luck, some may even say it was a string of unfortunate coincidences which all landed at the same time; for me, the reasons didn’t matter. I just had to find a way to endure.

I’ve written many times how Vision Therapy has been a stable force in my life, how the people associatied with it continue to offer much needed balast, and it continues to come through. I’ve known of Dr. Angela Peddle for a long time – just enough to know who she is and to say hello – but we had never had the opportunity to truly connect. Last weekend, as the Sanet Seminar was concluding, she and I had the opportunity to sit and chat for a few moments as she provided both the space and the safety for me to share some details about my year. Almost, as if by some magical force, she decided to take an interest in helping me. First by offering support, second by walking with me through the conclusion of some challenging circumstances, and most recently, by recommending a book which has been earth shatteringly accurate in addressing my needs. She took an interest in helping me when there was nothing in it for her but joining my search for clarity, and for that I am incredibly grateful. Considering where I was the moment we started talking on Saturday and comparing it to the amount of healing that occurred since that time, I am truly blown away. My gratitude for her is overflowing.

Through all of the tough times of this year, I have learned many lessons, perhaps the most important of all of them being love and gratitude. More specifically, the value in leading with love and the importance of leaning into your gratitude. Even in the tough times, there are lessons to be learned, love to be expressed, and reasons to be grateful.

There’s an old saying about “being kind as you never know what someone else is going through”; a solid approach to both Vision Therapy and life. Vision Therapy has brought people into my life who not only understand this, they humanize it, they embody it, and they live it. They understand on some innate level how to lead with love, no matter the circumstances, and without regard for personal gain. They understand when to push forward, the same as they know when to remind others that “this, too, shall pass”.

And for them, I sit in gratitude.