I find this quote to be inspiring! While helpful for any of us, I find it especially relevant to living with the autoimmune diseases that I have, RA & Fibro.

I've been thinking of my very long list of things I'd like to and need to accomplish. We all have these lists. Our lives get busy and those items gets put on the back burner. For me, the list is born of the what I need to do, and what I'd like to do, but in both cases I don't feel well enough to do. Or the required joints are not functioning properly - without pain. I'm beginning to realize that many of those items are part of the life I had planned.

I do well with letting go of the big things I had planned, leading me to living the life that is waiting for me. Moving back to South Dakota to be near my parents for support. Living at my parents house so they can help fill the void, the need, that arises from me being unable to do many things with my hands for my kids, or having the energy to 'participate' in my family. Both those things are very different then what I had planned for my life, but both were waiting for me with an enormous amount of love and blessings. When I was able to let go of my big plan, some pretty amazing blessing came to my family.

I'm struggling with the little things that I had planned for my life though, and to be honest I'm not exactly sure what life has waiting for me. I am an artist. But, I am now an artist that cannot create with my hands. Ideas are constantly flowing through my head. But I'm not able to put them into action.

I know logically that I have to create in ways that don't require small motor movement of the hand. No graphic design. No pottery. No painting. No drawing. 

But, yet I have plans and ideas that go on the list for when I feel well enough. For when my hands work again. The items don't seem to ever come off my list; they all require my hands creating.

'When I feel better...', doesn't seem to be happening.

While I know that I must be willing to let go of the life I had planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for me, it is difficult. It feels like giving up. So I'm still sitting here, waiting for a good compromise between the life I have planned and the life waiting for me!

I'm not quite ready to give up on being the artist my soul knows I am...we just need to convince my body that it can still create;)

It takes courage, strength and faith to let go of your plans, to go into the future knowing that there is a life waiting for you. And it takes patience while you work to let go of your plans, waiting to see what the life waiting for you is.

I leave you with my favorite quote regarding patience, in case like me you are working on letting go, waiting for a compromise, or you are waiting to see what awaits you...

"Patience is not about how long you can wait,

but how well you behave while you're waiting."

- Buddhist Boot Camp