Recently, I made my journey to Jamaica for my dream trip. I was so excited that I dang near packed my whole life in a suitcase for a 5 day trip. When we got there, I realized that I forgot a very important thing, the sunscreen. We kept talking about how we needed it and even passed the gift shop on the resort several times. I guess we were so excited, that we totally forgot to get some for the entire trip. We spent countless hours outside in the sun having fun. But that fun in the sun had a price…sunburn! My shoulders literally look like a cracked pot. I’m shedding at this very moment and it looks awful. But I guess I have to take into consideration that shedding is necessary when you’ve gone through something. In fact, I must apply this same concept to my life. There is another layer that will come after the intensity of a bad experience.
Sometimes we allow certain situations to get the best of us unknowingly. We seem to be having the time of our lives with that abusive man when he’s in a good mood. Or we stay connected to the toxic family member because heaven forbid family members be excommunicated to have a healthy lifestyle. It’s just like my fun in the sun. I knew what I needed, yet being in the moment made me forget about it. After too much time without it, it was already too late. The key is to not only know what you need, but get it. We don’t have to take the abuse, gossip, or mistreatment. We can screen ourselves if we know what’s good for us. Just in case we have not protected ourselves, we have to shed the bad to get to the good. We have to have hope going forward that the next layer will be radiant and we will have learned a valuable lesson.
Be Sweet 