Why me? Why NOT me?

Lately I've been overwhelmed with things to do. Hunting for an apartment, scheduling flights for Thanksgiving, planning for Christmas, babysitting, working shifts at a yoga studio and a restaurant, updating my blog, attending networking events, exploring business ideas, ahhhhh….

• Collecting lemons with the fruit picker tool

To add onto the busy schedule, I volunteered for Village Harvest the other day. I spent 3½  hours with other volunteers picking fruits from trees to give to those who don’t have food options.

We gathered persimmons, pomegranates, and lemons using fruit picker tools (long poles with a rake-like basket at the end). The sharp teeth of the tool would latch onto a fruit, and a strong tug would pluck it right off of its branch. 

At first the fruit picking was fun. I was in a Mario game, crunched for time, collecting fruit instead of coins. Every 3 successful lemon picks in a row gave me a power up.

But, after the first hour, our pace slowed. Our cheery faces turned stern. Our necks were sore from craning our eyes up to aim at the fruit. Our arms were heavy lifting the fruit picker higher and higher. 

I sighed with relief when the last pomegranate thumped into the basket. 

Driving home, I immediately noticed a sharp pain in my right wrist. I iced the area, massaged it, and put on a wrist brace, but the pain was relentless. Any movement would give my wrist a sudden spasm. It felt like a migraine jolting through my arm. 

I laid in bed, feeling like a lazy lump. What about my apartment search? How could I browse craigslist or Airbnb? How would I chop garlic for my stir fry? What about writing in my journal? 

There were so many things to do, but they all fell to the wayside because of my wrist. 

Why me? 

I wallowed in my frustration, thinking about the time that I was wasting. I could hear the ticking of the clock as the hours went by. My frustration turned into resentment.

Why do I have to be burdened by this agonizing wrist pain? My friends are probably at work, typing away on their computers with ease. 

They all have great living situations, yet here I am scrambling to find a new place. Why did I do this to myself?

Through the whining and complaining, I forgot why I volunteered in the first place. 

The purpose was to help people less fortunate than me. To give them more of a chance of having an empowering life. The people that I was picking fruits for struggle to have consistent meals. Could they even afford the luxury of a warm bed, like the one that I was laying on?

Compared to them, one less day of productivity was a great problem to have. 

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Why not me?

Why should I be free from wrist pain, or any health problems for that matter? I have stress, you have stress, your next-door neighbor has stress, the gorgeous Instagram models have stress. Life is not a game of Monopoly; you can't whip out a 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card when a problem shows up.

While I needed time to feelmy emotions of stress and pain, they shouldn't have spiraled into jealousy or regret. By caving into those negative emotions I allowed them to manipulate how I perceived the past. I victimized myself when there was nothing to blame.

The next morning I observed my life from a different angle. Noticing more of the normal things that I’ve gotten used to and lost appreciation for. The local library, supplying me with free access to endless knowledge. The mild breeze outside, perfect weather for a walk. My dusty Toyota Corolla, zipping me around to all of the places I couldn’t reach by foot. 

The little things brightened my day and made my life feel so vibrant. I was so grateful.

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For any of you who are going through some stress of your own, know that you aren’t alone. There are a whopping 7.7 billion other people on this planet going through something of their own.

In a stressful time, avoid transferring your negativity to other people. Pace around the room until your legs fall asleep or sing along to intense screamo (unless you’re my neighbor). 

After you’ve released those emotions, give your problems perspective. Is the spilled tea stain on your new blouse really going to be the end of the world?

Then, have a moment of gratitude, and make it a routine to do so every week or two. Just like how a car needs oil to run properly, you need to remind yourself of your blessings to stay content with your life. You’re reading this blog post, so clearly you have access to the Internet: a privilege in itself!

An intentional mindset shift from 'Why me?' to 'Why not me?' can change your life.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

- Charles Swindoll