We do the best we can with what we have, where we are. Just like her. Just like many of us have

Everything this young lady expressed here resonated with me in a powerful way. I suspect the same would be true for the 1in 4 of us who suffer from mental illness, addiction, and/or emotional damage.

If your brain is afflicted, if you have the genes and environmental triggers that lead to addiction, and/or you have been severely wounded emotionally, it’s quite natural to survive and cope using maladaptive behaviors, like the ones she has expressed.

A person with heart, kidney, or pancreatic disease doesn’t function at full or proper capacity. A person with unfulfilled thirst or hunger, be it natural or not, doesn’t run at 100%. A person with a gaping, painful wound doesn’t go about their business in a “normal” manner.

So those of us with invisible illnesses and limitations can’t be expected to “push through” our maladies like healthy Olympic athletes completing their competitions with dignity and grace. We do the best we can with what we have, where we are. Just like her. Just like many of us have.

Thank God for the many modalities of Recovery that we can apply to become more functional despite our illness or addiction AND for the balms that heal our emotional wounds.

There is HOPE and light at the end of the tunnel. I found it and continue to seek it. One day at a time.