Well, June… you were definitely one for the books.

When I look back over this month, the first words that come to mind are hard, painful… but also accomplishment. My pain levels with my back and right leg have been the worst they’ve been in a long time. There were days when everything hurt. Sitting hurt. Standing hurt. Walking hurt. Cleaning hurt. Some days even thinking about moving made me hurt. 😹

But here’s the thing…

I still got up every day.

Some days I accomplished a lot. Other days, accomplishing the bare minimum was enough. And you know what? That’s okay too. Sometimes just getting through the day is an accomplishment, especially when you’re living with chronic pain.

June taught me that I probably push myself a little too much. Okay… maybe a lot too much. 😹 It’s something I’m still working on because I always want to keep moving forward, even when my body is yelling at me to slow down.

One thing I’m really proud of this month is finally working on my second bedroom. It’s slowly becoming my office! That might not sound like a huge deal to everyone else, but it is to me. Soon I won’t wake up and walk straight into work. I’ll actually have a space that’s meant for work and a space that’s meant for home. I think that’s going to be really good for me.

There were some really nice moments this month too. I found myself sharing more memories about Nicole, and I loved every minute of it. Talking about her makes me smile. Of course there are tears too, but there are also so many laughs when I remember all the little things she did. Those memories are something I’ll never stop sharing.

And then there was Sir Kit Kat. 😹 He certainly kept life interesting while the workers were here installing our new heat and air conditioning units. I’m pretty sure he thought they had invaded his kingdom. Between him howling around the apartment and me trying to convince him everything was okay, I’m sure we were quite the entertainment.

The biggest challenge this month was definitely my back and my right leg. There were moments when I wondered if it was ever going to settle down. What got me through was reminding myself that tomorrow might be a little better than today. I’ve always believed you have to have hope. Even on the really hard days, hope gives you something to hold onto.

As June comes to an end, there’s one thing I’d really like to leave behind… doubt. Doubting myself. Doubting whether I can do something before I even try. If I don’t at least give it a shot, how will I ever know what I’m capable of?

That’s something I’m taking with me into July. I really can do anything I set my mind to. Maybe not the same way someone else would do it, and maybe not as quickly, but I can adapt. I’ve been proving that to myself little by little all year.

Looking back, I’m also pretty grateful that I don’t really need to buy groceries this month. 😹 I haven’t been eating as much, I’ve done lots of cooking, and my freezer and cupboards are still pretty full. I’ll take those savings any day!

So if I had to sum up June in one sentence, I’d probably say this…

It was honest.

It was painful.

But it was also pretty awesome.

I made it through.

I got upgrades to my apartment that are going to make life so much more comfortable, I kept moving forward even when it hurt, and I learned a little more about what I’m capable of.

Not every month has to be perfect to be a good month.

Sometimes making it through is more than enough.

💬 If you had to describe your June in one word, what would it be? I’d love to hear about your month.

Until next time, remember this…

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Stay kind.
Stay grateful.
And always remember… YOU Matter!

With love,

Shelly 💜