Outside the Lines

I was raised in a pretty normal home. Or so they say. My parents stayed together, I participated in sports, church, and was blessed with many great friends. As far as I knew, that was what normal looked like.

Fast forward to 2004 when I became a single mom and normal was suddenly redefined. We celebrated holidays and birthdays on the day before or day after. A diehard traditionalist, this threw me for a loop. Up until this point, I thought normal was everybody worked 9-5 Monday thruough Friday.

It had never dawned on me that all along there were people out there living a different life than me. It was good to get outside of the lines and be introduced to something new and different. Dates are just that. They mark something important for sure.

That's the most important thing. Celebrating the days the way you can no matter where you are, who is with you, or what your life looks like. If you are alone, a great way to deal with lonliness is to find a way to give back. Take an elderly neighbor a meal, volunteer, or do anything meaningful that takes your mind off whatever or whomever you're missing. Make the day matter because you matter! The world wouldn't be the same without you.