I am so grateful…

for a super supportive family,

for the roof over my head,

for clothes on my back,

for the medical care I’m able to receive…

Without all of this, I’d never have the chance to soak up every last drop of life.

Most of all though, I’m grateful for my freaking AMAZING friends.

I went through a pretty rough breakup a few months ago and wasn’t sure how I was going to get through it.

After having been through so much- physically and emotionally- I can say that, by far, this was the hardest thing I’ve done.  Through my heartbreak, I was lonely, depressed and just felt so lost. Being an adult, living in a new place, WITH your parents is already difficult to handle. Throw in trying to date and (Holy F!) it’s freaking ridiculous.

Now, throw in a constant battle with your body, due to a plethora of health issues from a chronic illness, and imagine how much harder that makes things.

When dating, everyone is trying to sell themselves.

Look at my great place…

Check out my awesome career…

Oh hey, I’m a world traveler too…

Then, there’s me.

My place… it’s beautiful… but it’s not mine.

That career… oh, you mean the one I had to walk away from?

Travel? I have been lucky in the past to travel a bit… but nowadays I’m tied to a machine three times a week. I can’t go too far or for too long.

These are some of the obstacles I face, making it exponentially harder to meet someone. Which is super fun. Or not…. ugh.

So, when I did find someone… I held on tight. I was in love. I fell hard and fast.

Then, like happens to us all, it fell apart- there were tears, self doubt, questioning what went wrong. Then, finally, acceptance… not without A LOT of help from my friends.

I was in the depths of my sorrow when, right on cue… and not surprisingly, since they’ve always been around whenever I needed them… my girlfriends all stepped up. They invited me to visit, stay with them, explore new places, and generally just have fun again and enjoy life.

I did the touristy LA thing.

I “March(ed) for Our Lives,”

I played Skee Ball at a hip downtown bar,

and, of course, consumed an insane amount of food, lovingly referred to as a ‘Bang Bang’- when you’ve finished eating at one spot, you leave, go straight to another place and eat again.

If you haven’t tried it yet. I highly recommend it.

It soothes the soul.

(PSA: I don’t recommend this as a regular activity.  Let’s just the folks at dialysis weren’t too pleased with the large weight gain that weekend. — Also, TOTALLY WORTH IT!)

I visited the stunningly beautiful Pacific Northwest… Bellingham, Washington- I’m looking at you. I had the opportunity to stay a few days with a long time (20+ years) friend and her ridiculously adorable kids. Seeing the unbridled excitement and vision of the world from their eyes helped bring me back. We enjoyed time in the great outdoors… not usually my vibe… but Bellingham’s nature game is strong! I got some girlfriend time in… time that is invaluable and doesn’t get to happen often enough.

Then, most recently, one of my very best friends- recently back from traveling the world (Check out her adventures at SHE GOES GLOBAL)- came to stay for an extended visit. Having this time together has been spectacular. We’ve had those deep conversations you can only have with someone who truly gets you. Delved into the parts of our soul we haven’t shared in a while. We explored new areas. She even helped me get this blog up and running. (SHOUT OUT!!)

Acting as my biggest cheerleader she’s inspired me to open up, take back control of my narrative, and get my mojo back.

I’m returning to the Bridget I knew and loved for so many years. I had lost my way… but finally found the path again.

Now, I’m saying YES…

to adventure,

to meeting new people,

to trying new things,

to blazing a new trail,

to realizing that my life is pretty fucking amazing…

I’m grabbing life by the horns, looking it straight in the eye and saying…

I GOT THIS!

~Bridget (BIRD)