The other day I got thinking about all the crazy things we believed when we were kids, and honestly… where did we come up with this stuff? 😂

I was absolutely convinced that if I swallowed a watermelon seed, I’d end up growing a watermelon in my belly. Looking back now, I kind of wish that one had been true. Watermelons are expensive these days! 🍉 Then there was the whole “step on a crack and you’ll break your daddy’s back” thing. I remember actually avoiding cracks in the sidewalk because I didn’t want to be responsible for hurting my dad. We never questioned those things. Someone told us, so we believed it.

As I got older, the things I believed started to change. I couldn’t wait to have my own place. In my head it meant freedom. I pictured decorating however I wanted, making my own rules, and living this exciting adult life. Then Nicole and I got our first apartment when I was 17, and reality showed up with rent, groceries, hydro bills, and everything else that comes with being an adult. I still loved having our own place, but nobody tells you how quickly your paycheck disappears when you’re the one paying for everything. Looking back, I laugh because I really wasn’t ready for that part of adulthood.

Then there was my grand plan for the future. I was going to have 100 kids. Yes… one hundred! And to make things even better, I wanted to give them unusual names. One of those names was Curtain. I have absolutely no idea why I thought Curtain would make a good baby name, but apparently it made perfect sense to little Shelly. The funny part is I wasn’t worried about how I’d raise 100 children. My biggest concern was having a house big enough for all of them. It’s amazing the things that seemed like important problems when we were kids. 😂

I also used to think I’d always want to be surrounded by people. I was such a social butterfly. My house was always full of kids and their friends, and I loved every minute of it. These days I’ve realized I’ve changed, and that’s okay. I still like people… I just don’t like to people all the time anymore. I actually enjoy the quiet now. Give me my little apartment, a cup of coffee, Sir Kit Kat doing his daily supervisor rounds, and I’m pretty content. If you had told my younger self that one day I’d crave peace and quiet, I probably would have laughed at you.

Not every belief we have gets changed in a funny way though. Some of them change because life changes us. I never imagined the trauma I would experience over the years. There really isn’t a way to prepare yourself for those kinds of things. They leave their mark, whether we want them to or not. But I’ve also learned that it’s what we do with those experiences that matters. We can let them define us, or we can let them teach us. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Some days are still really hard. But I keep trying, and I think that’s all any of us can do.

One question really made me stop and think. If I could sit down with my 20-year-old self over a cup of coffee, what would I say? I don’t think I’d give her some long speech. I’d simply tell her she’s doing the best she can. I’d tell her to get herself into counselling and deal with the trauma instead of carrying it around for years. I’d remind her that she’s enough, exactly as she is, and that she belongs, even on the days she doesn’t believe it herself.

I think that’s one of the biggest things growing older has taught me. We change so many times throughout our lives because every chapter asks something different of us. Sometimes the changes are exciting, sometimes they’re painful, and sometimes we don’t even notice they’re happening until we look back. Change isn’t the problem. It’s part of life. Just make sure you’re never changing who you are for someone else. That’s one lesson I hope I never forget.

So now it’s your turn… what’s something you believed as a kid that makes you laugh today? I’d love to hear your stories. I have a feeling there are going to be some good ones. 😊

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…

Stay kind.
Stay grateful.
YOU Matter!

Shelly 💜