Embrace Happiness!
Advice from The First Lady of Fitness, Fashion, and Fun and Pittsburgh Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Independent Beachbody Coach, TurboKick Instructor, and life coach, Jackie Omotalade:
Ever since my daughter’s passing, I have struggled with depression. Depression is a constant battle which I do not always win. There are periods of time where the darkness the comes with being depressed seems to surround me and there is no escape, but it is in those dark periods that a realization came to me – HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE! I can choose to stay in the hole – that dark painful place where there is only misery and discontentment – where I waste away mentally and physically, the place where I never smile, and I abandon my family and friends so that I can shut myself off from the world – but that is an easy choice. Most people would enable me go into the darkness given what has happened in my life – they would view it as completely acceptable and perhaps expected. I, HOWEVER, AM CHOOSING MORE OFTEN THAN NOT (OR PERHAPS A BETTER WORD – FIGHTING) TO BE HAPPY! Without happiness I am lost. Happiness helps me find peace in my soul and the strength to endure.
Just Smile!
So much of my joy and happiness comes from the memories of my daughter. In fact, while my daughter was on this earth, one of the major life lessons I tried to teach her was to embrace the joy and happiness of life. And she loved life. . .she embraced every bit of it with a positive and optimistic attitude. SHE taught me to love all things and all people and that a smile could get your mommy to give you things you might not normally get.
Natalia - loving life
Now, that she is not here, I can’t disrespect her memory by giving and giving up when life isn’t so easy, instead I preserving! I’m fighting the good fight – I am waking up each and every morning, getting out of bed and looking in the memories and telling myself all the reasons that I have to be thankful. Thank you Natalia for coming into my life and teaching me how to love completely and entirely. Thank for giving me the strength to endure when sometimes I don’t want to and embrace all the joy and happiness that this world has to offer.
Joy is remembering Natalia's smile!
You are most welcome!