Well here I am back in action! If you read my page but don't follow any of my social media you may have been wondering where I was last week. No, I did not take another week off to binge watch another Netflix original. As you may remember my previous post was written on my computer at work. My laptop was in the shop, so I had to improvise. Well a few days after that I got my laptop back only to have it crash 24 hours later. Unfortunately, I did not have time to type one up at work that time. After talking to some friends and family, I came to the conclusion that my best option was going to be to buy a new one. So here I am, first blog post on the new computer! 

I bet you are wondering how I am going to tie that into todays post (since we all know that is exactly how I do things around here). Well, as I am sure you can guess the second time, my other laptop crashed I was pretty frustrated and sad about it. When I say I was ready to throw the thing across the room, I am not even exaggerating! I was venting about it to many people and with that came some pretty solid advice. I was told I should let things that were out of my control go. Yes maybe something I did on that laptop was the actual cause. I had a firewall and always try not to go to any sites that are not trustworthy, but it is possible I picked up a virus. That, however, wasn't the point of that argument. The fact of the matter was that my laptop needed to be replaced. In that moment in time that was completely out of my control. Once I understood that I felt better about the situation. I also then got pretty excited about the fact that I was getting a brand-new computer out of it.

So how does that tie into life? Well plenty of ways! I think a big one is losing your job. We all know how scary of a time that was for me two summers ago. I had recently leased a brand-new car and worried about how I was going to pay for it along with my other responsibilities. I did my very best not to let it consume my life. I, of course, spent the summer looking for jobs, sending my resume around, going on awkward interviews. I also used the time to enjoy the summer. Funny enough I ended up starting the job I am at now about mid-way through September so it was like I had adult summer vacation. What I didn't do (at least for the most part) was sit around and dwell on the fact that I lost my job. I was unemployed and no amount of anger and frustration at the company that laid me off was going to change that. In my case it was from a lack of business and the company needed to cut costs. I knew it wasn't because of my work. It 100% was out of my control so I knew I needed to let it go and move on. I can honestly say as many of you likely can already guess that they did me a favor. Something so much better came along and I am so incredibly happy in the position I am in now.

Work isn't the only example though of course. So many things in life cause pain or sadness. The death of a loved one, money issues, breaking something irreplaceable, etc. The list could go on and on. Yes, some of these things have no silver lining. There isn't much of a silver lining if you accidently shatter a glass Christmas ornament that was a family heirloom. I can't think of one single example of a silver lining that would come out of that. The most important thing to remember when that happens is that the memories will never go away. Just because you broke a belonging of someone that is no longer with you, it does not erase the memories. Those live on in your heart. It is also, however, important to always remember that dwelling and sulking are also not going to solve anything. Just realize that even if it was your fault that it broke, it is now completely out of control. We cannot go back in time and change our actions. Trust me there are plenty of outfits I would go back and change on my school picture days if that were the case. You can only move forward. What kind of life are you going to live if you are looking back in the past wishing it could change?

Maybe people in your past treated you poorly, and you dwell on that. Focus on the people that love you now and look forward to the memories that you have made and will make with them. Maybe you didn't take college seriously, and your GPA wasn't where you wanted it to be. That also cannot be changed so just look forward. Maybe like me you look at a picture of yourself in 2014 and cringe at how thin you plucked your eyebrows. It was in the past so leave it there! Move forward instead of just existing in your life. Do things that scare you and live with no regrets. We all feel regret sometimes, but what is important is allowing yourself to feel that way just long enough to process, then let it go. There is absolutely no good that will come out of dwelling on the things we cannot change.