You Are Where You Are Meant to Be
I was recently interviewed by someone, and I was asked about what message I would like to give my younger self. I was not ready for that question, but my response was: “You are where you are meant to be.” As I think about that statement, it occurs to me that it, not only makes sense for myself at younger ages, but it also applies to all of us at any age. Where we are in life is preparing us for where we are going. If there are struggles in our lives, they are making us stronger and ready for what is to come in our lives. In short, we are where we are meant to be.
Restlessness
Those of us with ADHD can get restless, both physically and mentally. We squirm in our seats. We fidget. And, we do all sorts of things just to move and get the wiggles out. This can happen mentally too. We can look at our surroundings and question what we are doing with out lives. We feel a desire to do something else and to be someone else. Yet, if we do not stay present in the uncomfortableness, we lose the possibility for great things. In short, restlessness can spur us to a better future, a future we will not have unless we have experienced restlessness and hardship. I know I have seen this in my own life, and I’ll bet you have experienced it too.
Hindsight
Looking back at my life, I can see how struggles made me who I am and how they were put in my life for a reason. For example, in March of 2018, I had just gotten out of the hospital following some kidney problems that were discovered when I went to the ER for extreme stomach pains, and I had just discovered that the girl who had broken up with me at the beginning of February started dating someone else immediately. I was dealing with health concerns and a broken heart. Nothing made sense to me. I kept asking, “Why?” No answer came. However, I persevered and made it through. What I learned in that situation is that better things will come. When one door opens, it gives you an opportunity to find a door that leads to a better situation for you. While nothing made sense to me while I was going through that hardship, I now realize that is where I was meant to be at that time. It gave me a lot of time to reflect and decide what I wanted out of life.
Looking back, I see the value of hindsight. Hardships will make sense later. It can be a struggle while you are in the midst of a sucky situation, but someday it will all make sense. You might even find yourself yearning for those days again.
Contentment
After my aforementioned hospitalization, I lived at my mom’s house for a month or two. I had my own place, but I needed help recovering, and quite frankly, I did not want to be alone. I found myself watching a lot of Star Trek: Voyager, eating a bunch of club crackers, and drinking a lot of prune juice. That was my life. I was not working, and I had a hard time eating with my stomach issues. Thus, I was able to get through a lot of Star Trek: Voyager episodes, and I consumed a bunch of club crackers and prune juice, two things that my stomach could tolerate. At the time, I yearned for a better life, to be doing something else with my time. However, that is where I needed to be.
What is of great value in hardships is finding contentment, becoming okay with where you are. Sometimes, when life gets busy and hectic, I think back to the days of sitting around my mom’s house, watching Star Trek: Voyager while consuming club crackers and prune juice, and I smile. I smile! I was miserable, but there was a simplicity to my days during that stretch of time. In short, I came to be content, despite my turmoil.
My advice to anyone who thinks they are not where they should be in life is to find contentment. Say to yourself, “I am where I am meant to be.” Persevere. Find the joy (not necessarily happiness) in your current state in life.