#30-RELIEF

Relief

Hey everyone!

Have you ever heard this quote by author Adriana Trigiani:

“Relief is a wonderful emotion, highly underrated.”

I heard it for the first time this week and something clicked into my head.

We pay so much attention to negative emotions. Pain, sorrow, grief, sadness. And at least for me, it can be hard to focus on the good things in life, especially with a very debilitating illness. Why is it so difficult? We tend to look for solutions to fix or protect our lives, don’t we?! It’s called the survival instinct. But what if we could just feel free and peaceful?

Relief is sunny days in spring after a dark and cold winter.

Relief is getting back into my comfort zone after a stressful day.

Relief is falling asleep and eventually ceasing to experience pain.

Relief is looking back and recognizing that my body is less painful than it used to be.

Relief is the connection between body and mind, sadness and joy, hope and victory.

You need compassion to understand and feel relief in your life.

It’s a ying and yang situation, coming from the negative to the positive. That’s why it’s so underrated, in my opinion. It’s not ableism because it truly and genuinely requires to face the darkest moments of our lives.

It’s difficult to understand relief because of a lack of compassion. It’s necessary to listen to the past to appreciate relief. It’s a pure emotion and a sign of authenticity and maturity. It takes time and effort to overcome obstacles.

Relief is my goal. I’m not there yet. I’m still very sick. But I can feel small relieves when I see my progress and I’m grateful for how far I’ve come.

I even plan my future relief, imagining how I might celebrate it. For example, I no longer cut my hair while waiting for the day of my recovery. I will be so happy to have my hair cut to celebrate my relief from the disease.

Relief, deliverance, liberation. It is important to be aware of this emotion whenever possible and to appreciate all the efforts that have been made. And then, turn the page, without resentment or frustration, to be able to look to the future.

If people could listen and be more understanding, there would be more compassion and more beneficial relief for everyone.

MAKE SURE YOUR COMPASSION INCLUDES YOU TOO.

Pericordially yours,

Vali