I remember the days when I was a social butterfly. I was building my empire, helping the community and I knew everyone. I truly thought I had so many friends. It was not until my health was at my worst when I realized that I actually only had a handful of real friends: Those who visited when I had open heart surgery… Those who came by when I got my pacemaker…. Those who checked in on me… Those who were there during the low times.
Someone healthy once said to me that people get sick because they want attention. That could not be further from the truth. You do not get attention when you are sick, you get dropped and become a has-been. You are forgotten and realize most of your friends were only drinking buddies or you were their wingman. Out of sight, out of mind. People move on from you and gravitate toward a replacement. I had a career that was flourishing. I was traveling several times per year, all expenses paid for. I was challenged, inspired, thriving and growing. But my health always catches up. It always knocks me down, no matter how high I climbed.
Typically, I quietly climb back up. I kept most of my health to myself besides major things that were hard to hide. I masked my symptoms with caffeine, marijuana and alcohol. Depression was always tucked away inside. I never slept and I resented my body.
This time, I didn’t climb back up. I accepted it. I embraced it. I shared my story and my truth so that others didn’t feel the need to suffer silently like I did. My career fell apart.
Tyler Durden: It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything. -Fight Club
On the plus side, when my health deteriorated, I realized who was important. I realized I wasted precious time with the wrong people when I had amazing friends that were there all along. It reminded me about quality over quantity.
I have learned to change my perspective. I may not be the career fueled woman I once was but my passion has never skipped a beat. I remind myself how grateful I am to now live a genuine life, with no toxic friendships, no false relationships, nobody with a hidden agenda. My life is a challenge but it is real and so are my relationships.
When you find yourself in this position, it’s a chance to reinvent yourself. You reevaluate everything. You cut the toxins out and you ask yourself, what do you truly want? How can I touch lives and make a difference?
I may be grieving who I once was, my fair-weather friends, and my fast-paced career. However, I am excited to see how my new journey unfolds and where life will take me. I feel my purpose needed to be more meaningful. I was lost in the fun, excitement and the haze of fake friends and couldn’t see what I was meant to do. I was meant to change the world, to help others and to make a difference… no matter how small. Even if I just pave the way.
This is all so relatable for me. I had the same experience with my friendships and my career when I became too ill to deny it anymore. Thank you for this post.