A journey begins with one step

"Happiness is like a butterfly:
The more you chase it, the more it will elude you.
But if you turn your attention to other things,
it will come and sit softly on your shoulder."

Oprah often talks about "AHA MOMENTS".  An AHA moment in my life came several days ago when I routinely signed into Facebook and a friend had sent me this quote. If you know me at all you know that I LOVE butterflies! Not only are they beautiful and peaceful, they represent change. Shedding the old and emerging new and improved. Ironically, when one has surgery to remove their thyroid due to thyroid cancer it is often referred too as "losing the butterfly" due to the organ's shape.  For two years or so I have dealt with chronic pain and illness, the worst of which is not cancer, it is Major Depressive Disorder.  Often this could be a symptom of Hasimoto's Thyroiditis, which is where all this began, or maybe it was there and has just worsened with time. Either way, "chasing butterflies" is a perfect way to describe it. The more I chase happiness the more exhausted and frustrated I become.

So, I am turning my attention away from the "butterflies". I was inspired by my niece who's strength and courage leave me in awe. She wrote her struggles down and had the amazing guts to share it with everyone. She didn't do it for them, she did it for herself, but in doing so she actually changed my life. You never know when your life will change, or when you will change someone's life. I have taken many steps in this long journey, but I often wonder if I have been walking in circles. Today I will step off that path and take one step in a new direction. I hope you will read along and follow me. In the end I hope we end up together, in a field filled with flowers surrounded by amazing beautiful butterflies.