Scoring In The New Year Starting With Groceries

It’s a choice that takes courage and the score will be high. Not making a choice is still a choice, however, a non-choice doesn’t take much courage and if you score at all, it will be low. Am I talking about football, soccer, baseball, gymnastics, volleyball, chess or some other sport or game?

Nope.

Scoring In The New Year Starting With Groceries

The new year that stretches ahead is filled with possibilities for success, happiness and exciting opportunities. However, there will also be days where things don’t go the way we want them to and we will experience sadness, pain, sickness and a multitude of other hardships. The negatives in life are necessary in order for us to progress and to fully understand how to be happy.

Living takes courage.

Sometimes our courage is short lived, but it lasts just long enough to get us through the negative experience. That’s really all the courage we need…just enough.

Every success, no matter how big or small, counts as a win on our personal scoreboard and should be celebrated. You don’t have to throw a party because you remember where you left your keys, but acknowledge that you actually remembered or that you put the keys back where they belonged so you were able to find them with ease.

I know that the year ahead will not be easy for me because I am still fighting and wrestling with PTSD. I talked to myself while I walked through the grocery store today. I said things like this:

“Sherry, there aren’t hardly any people in the store right now, so you aren’t crowded. Relax.”

“You know, you’ve come a long way. You’re in this huge grocery store by yourself. You should really give yourself more credit.”

“Take one row at a time.”

“It’s just a grocery store.”

“You will not faint or throw up, so just keep walking.”

“Look at your list and calm down. You don’t have to remember anything because it is written on your list.”

“There’s no reason to leave the store until you’re finished.”

“You don’t have that many things to buy, so just buy them and then you can leave.”

“Breathe.”

All that was just in the first row and then I hit the back of the store where the refrigerated chicken is located. I recognized the man restocking the meat as the same gentleman who helped me find my free range turkey before Christmas. He glanced at me and said hello, so I responded with my usual “Howdy!”

“I haven’t heard anyone say that since I lived in Texas,” he said.

“I used to live in Texas too,” I told him.

He looked so surprised and we started talking about the great things we love in Texas. As it turns out, we both lived in the same area and left the great state of Texas just about the same time. I showed him a picture of Alyssa and he told me about his wife and five children. We laughed and just about finished each other’s sentences. It was wild!

Somehow we started talking about birthdays. “I’m going to be 55 this year,” he said while continuously restocking the chicken.

“My birthday is this month and I’m going to be,” I hesitated, “50.”

“This month? Get out! What day?”

His eyebrows had shot up in total surprise and I responded, “January 17th is my birthday. When is your birthday?”

“You’re not going to believe this, so I have to show you,” he stuttered and stammered while he reached for his wallet. Then he handed me his driver’s license and there it was clear as day. His birthday is January 17th just like mine. I looked up at him and we both just stared at each somewhat shocked. Out of all the people in the grocery store, I only talked to this one employee who lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, moved to Virginia, works in the grocery store where I shop and has the same birthday as me. It is a crazy Twilight Zone experience.

I eventually finished my shopping, but as I stood in the line waiting to pay, I realized that my PTSD symptoms were non-existent after I talked to my new birthday friend. It was such a pleasant experience talking to him and then finding out all the things we had in common that it halted my PTSD symptoms during the rest of my shopping.

Remember, my first goal for the new year is to see the end to at least most of my PTSD problems. I would say I scored a big success today. You may think it is just a small success, but believe me, walking through the grocery store without having ten panic attacks or running out the store is a huge success for me.

Today was a good PTSD day due largely to my determination to overcome this horrible disorder, but also because of the kindness of another person. The employee at the grocery store has no idea how hard the first two minutes in the store had been for me, but his friendly conversation made my shopping trip easy and it would have otherwise been unpleasant based on the first two minutes. This just proves that you never know how your actions can influence another person’s life.

With the year ahead looming into the darkness, set your goals, remain courageous in your determination to succeed and celebrate every time you score. Remember, it’s the journey, so enjoy and celebrate.

“Before you can score,you must have a goal.”~ Greek Proverb ~