I was thinking today about something someone said about me a little while back. We were discussing different personality types and I am what I would call an optimistic realist. I like to be positive and believe the best but I also have realistic expectations. I am also what I call a do-er and not a planner.
For example when I go on vacation typically I will buy the plane ticket and get the rental car and that’s about it. I don’t look into what sites I’m going to see there or what hotels I’m going to stay at, I just kind of like to go and see what happens.
My mom and sister are planners.. so when we all went on a vacation together that I planned, my free spirited way of doing things made them a little uncomfortable. I can see the benefit of both. I’m just not a planner. Especially since my head injury I have become even less of a planner, because you honestly never know what’s going to happen.
One day I thought I was fine even though I tripped and hit my head on a little rock- didn’t think anything of it- however the next morning I woke up with no short-term memory and I don’t really remember the next couple of years. So life has a funny way of interrupting your plans. Like going to prison for example, that was really not in my plans for life.
But it happened and that’s where this story comes from- I was in one of my rehab classes one day and we were discussing each other’s personalities and this girl said to summarize my personality she would use the glass half full example. She said if you ask Jen whether the glass is half full or half empty Jen will say there’s water in the cup.
If you’re thirsty take a drink, and when we need to we’ll figure out how to get more. I thought that was a pretty accurate way to summarize my view on life. It’s like the Rolling Stones say you can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need.
There have been many times in my life when I thought something was tragically awful and years later came to see it was the best thing that happened to me. When I got my first DUI I thought my life was over, come to find out it was just beginning. That DUI was what I needed to get sober and stay sober for the next 18 years. I became a nurse because of that DUI and had a career I loved and none of that would have happened if the worst day hadn’t happened.
Any alcoholic or addict in recovery knows that it takes hitting rock bottom before you can start to recover…so it literally takes the worst day of your life to give you a new lease on life. So I’m trying to get better at saying ” I’m not getting my way” rather than saying “Things are going wrong.” I find that if I’m in a negative headspace and thinking “can’t anything just work out ” if I change that statement to “can I get my way?” I realize how childish it sounds and it helps me accept the situation as it is. Just something to think about. I hope everybody has a fabulous Friday and until next time, peace out.
