food for thought

Thoughts from Chief Sjolander...

It appears that my "advice" posts seem to reach the most people, do the most good, and more of you can relate to these, so ill try to give some more advice today...

I know I'm not alone in feeling "anxious" or "guilty" some days. Now I'm thankful that these days are few and far between, and when they do come, they are not crippling for me like that can be for some people. There is really no rhyme or reason, it's just some days I wake up and feel like the other shoe is going to drop...why I don't know.

I think the root of these feelings are stemmed in my childhood. I know...deep thoughts this early in the morning. I think I spent so much of my younger years trying to fix my home life and trying to figure out why me...Maybe I had this coming, maybe this was a test, maybe I deserved this as a punishment...

I think a large part of this is because somedays I feel I don't "deserve" to be happy. I have a wonderful life. Yes, it has trying times and I've seen my share of sadness, but compared to my childhood, this is amazing. Then it hits me...

I've worked my tail off to be where I am. I don't think I'm special, I think I'm driven. I'm driven to give my family, my friends, and the public I serve the best I have to give. I'm a "fixer" it's what I do...it's who I am...and I'm ok with that.

Here is what I do when these thoughts and feelings creep into my head. I take stock of my life. I look around and realize that everything that happens is for a reason, I'm never given more than I can handle, and I deserve to be just as happy as the next person. I also know from having a front seat into the lives of so many that some are way worse off than me...

So here is my advice... It's ok to be happy, you've earn it. You deserve to be loved and respected. Take a step back and realize how hard you've worked to be where you're at. The small things we do everyday have way more impact than the large things, and we are all here for a purpose and we owe it to those around us to find that purpose and share it with others.

So get up, get dressed, and start living your life on your terms. We all have hard times, and feelings that mess with our heads, it's how we handle these bumps in the road that makes us who we are, and I like what I see. It's not a ego thing...it's a self respect thing. I've made some mistakes, I'm not perfect, and I'm ok with me being me. 

I hope you're all ok with being you. And if not, that's ok, you're allowed to change...

Stay safe,

Lee