I recently saw someone who used to come into my work. It has been a few years, but I almost didn’t recognize them. They are heavier, grayer, and look more tired than they usually did. And they were with their spouse who looked like they had deteriorated also. This former customer was always pleasant, and the staff liked them. But their spouse was not. The spouse usually was rude, demanding, and bad spirited. The customer had told us their spouse went to a lot of doctor’s appointments and they could not find the source of their issues. None of us at my work were medically trained, but we suspected their ailments were a product of their imagination. They could have also been insecure and played sick to get sympathy and attention. Because they didn’t feel right, they wanted to make everyone around them miserable. I empathized with our customer. I didn’t like having to interact with their spouse, but I am glad I didn’t have to live with them or anyone like that.

It got me thinking as to what changes I need to make in my own life. Are there people or things who are taking my time away from me? What drains me of happiness and prevents me from pursing opportunities? What habits in my life should I change to make me a better person, healthier, and prepare me for the future? Because out of all this I realized I never want to cripple myself or anyone else. Life isn’t always fair, but it’s up to me to make choices as to what I’m going to put my energy into while I am here.