When it rains, it pours.

I used to believe I had bad luck. I was able to prove it with countless examples in my life. No one had to tell me "when it rains it pours" because it was the story of my life.

Then something happened in my life. I learned how to look at my life in a different way. I remember the day I looked into a foggy mirror and wondered where I was. I knew my reflection was there somewhere; even though I couldn't see it. And then it all started clicking. It took the fall of a single domino for the rest to fall in line; finally I learned about perspective. 

The way I see, how I see, what I see, and who I see is not the way the world sees. The blessing of living individual lives is the ability to make our own choices while everyone else makes their own choices. Even so, in making our own choices we often make mistakes which are part of our life lessons. And of course our life lessons guide us on this wonderful journey. 

I have learned to look at my own life from different points of view as well. What I used to believe 10 years ago or even 3 years ago may not be what I believe today. For example, just 4 months ago I was a meat/cheese lover whereas for the past 2 months I have adapted a Whole Food Plant Based Diet. 

I have been an example of making changes to better who I am. The actions I take are keeping in mind my own peace and happiness without forgetting that of others. Sadly, in April I have had to experience the venom of certain people who have chosen to participate in drama, lies, vengeance, and even name calling. People who do not practice what they preach. People who want goodness in their lives yet live to make others miserable. I share this with you because I know I am not the only one going through it. I would lie if I said I was not hurt by these people. I had to accept that others had their own perspective and be patient for them to "see."

Luckily, today I found a quote by the Dalai Lama that summarizes it all, "The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind. It enables us to remain undisturbed, even when the situation is really difficult. It gives us a certain amount of inner peace, which allows us some self-control, so that we can choose to respond to situations in an appropriate and compassionate manner, rather than being driven by our disturbing emotions."And I'm happy to share that it's working. The more patient and compassionate I am in these disturbing situations with these difficult people, the less drama that follows. So when time passes it will not be me having to clean up messes created by negative emotions.There are differences between impulses of the mind and of the inner gut. I have followed the inner gut. April has proved to highlight "what you see is what you get."

I will continue to practice what I preach, peace and happiness, no matter what. Enjoy life! Let go of the drama and don't let anyone bring you down. And remember to have patience because it takes time to clean up a mess, especially when others keep adding to the mess as you try to clean it up. Don't let others get to you, please.