My New Favorite Quote

I decided at some point last month that I needed a new quote.  I am always looking for awesome quotes; I write them down carefully and save them for quiet moments of contemplation.  My last quote was "When in doubt, reboot", but cancer isn't rebootable.  

I asked.  Twice, just to be sure. 

So that quote was out, at least for now.  The search was on for a new quote that was applicable to my current situation.  And the internet was happy to share its collective wisdom with me, in the form of advertisement.  I don't usually pay attention to ads, because they tend to be about how I can lose weight with "this one weird trick" or about how Ellen has been lying about something all these years. But my brain is genetically attracted to shiny things, and this caught my eye.  I  clicked on the ad to see what the full quote on the shiny bracelet might be.

"She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails."

Something about those words resonated within me. I'm not a sailor-type of individual.  I don't spend a great deal of time on the water or on a boat or anything.  But the idea of adapting to circumstances, no matter what they may be, means something to me.  I looked up the quote, and found that it came from Elizabeth Edwards.  She certainly epitomizes someone who has adapted to circumstances, what with all the drama she's had to go through.  And she is a model of resilience as well as of adaptability.  I can admire that.  I've made it this far in my life because I'm willing to adapt to the circumstances I find myself confronting.  That isn't going to change.

I mean to survive this latest adventure I'm on.  To survive I need to be adaptable to the circumstances I find myself in, just like I've always done.  I'm an emotional cauldron of anger, self-pity, anxiety, and general crankiness on most days.  Instead of curling up in a ball, I force myself to stand up, face whatever I have to, and get through it.  And that's what I am doing with this latest storm.  Except now I have this fancy bracelet with the inspirational quote to remind me to adjust my sails when the wind doesn't blow my way. 

Plus, it looks pretty snazzy on my wrist!