Am I thriving or am I merely just surviving? That is the question roaming around in my brain thanks to Beth Moore. The last five days that is what I have been ruminating.
Surviving means to just exist. Thriving means to prosper, grow, be successful, and to flourish. At first when I read the question I thought to myself surviving and thriving are virtually the same thing, but I was wrong in my assumption.
Just survive is doing just the bare minimum to get by, not noticing the breathes you take, the people who are around you, the attitude you show those on your team. It is just breathing; it is just eating, drinking, and doing all those things you have to do to survive. Yes, they are all important for someone to thrive, to grow, but it isn’t all that is required to be successful and to flourish. A living thing needs the nurturing aspects as well as the human survival aspect. Think about it, what happens in the orphanages or parents who merely just take care of the diaper changing, the feedings, and the thirst, but do not pick up the child, say I love you, touch them, hold them, looking them in their eyes and bond with them. They do not thrive. They take longer to develop and learn things, their emotions are not stable. God created us to be relational and to thrive, not to just survival.
I also am in the mindset that each individual needs different things to thrive. What is it I need to thrive in my life? I believe that I have just been surviving doing what is necessary to keep my breathing through this whole three year process. How have I been just surviving you might be asking yourself? Well I have just been thinking and doing the doctor appointments, medications, researching what I can do to help balance my body with the inflammation. Several times a day I check my oxygen levels with the Oximeter that I have. I check my blood sugars. I swallow a lot of pills, including two vitamins in order for my body to heal and whatever medical thing I have to do in order to be at my best. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I still wake up with a swollen joint or pain, or my throat slowly closing shut and needing to go have another surgery up at UW Medical center. I get frustrated. I still fight on. I am just surviving.
For me to thrive I need to include other important aspects into my life. Things that do not require medical doctors, popping pills into my mouth, or putting things into my veins to manage my body’s healing, which is something I want so badly I could taste it. What would help me to thrive?
One thing that would help me to thrive would be to include other things in my life besides medical stuff. I need more substance than that. My writing helps me, cooking, snuggling with my Nicholas, watching movies, doing Q-gong every morning, and having relationship with my family and friends. On top of which I will explore the other things that would help me to thrive too. Another great question that I must answer and it will take me some time.
Do you just survive or are you thriving?
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