Today is the anniversary of my stroke.
That’s possibly a weird thing to “celebrate,” but each year that’s what Valentine’s Day reminds me of- a day that changed my life forever and continues to with its residual aftermath.
Every year, I celebrate that I’m alive and have made it through another year healthy and moving forward.
I celebrate that I get to dream of different futures and possibilities, that the world is still open to me.
I celebrate that I can still change my mind, change direction, and start over should the circumstances call for it.
I celebrate that I still believe in love and hope after all I’ve been through.
I celebrate that I’ve never given up and never will. I get another day to work through the kinks and build a life that works for me.
Each day begins and ends in gratitude, even on the worst days when I struggle to find the smallest thing to recognize because I know how lucky I am to have it.
I don’t know what Valentine’s Day is for everyone else: a commercialized, disingenuous display of love maybe, or another reason to feel even more alone than normal, or for me- alone or not- the best day of the year.
We have the choice of how we see each day. Days like this one are burdened with expectations, hopes or regrets, sadness or joy. So, I challenge a reframe: find another reason to celebrate.
I feel like LIFE is a good choice.
Miss B's House 