A lot of words can be used to describe life post hard stuff. Challenging. Difficult. Eye Opening. Inspiring. And the list goes on & on. Because there is so much stuff that goes through your mind, body & soul afterwards. Feelings, emotions, desires, thoughts & opinions just to name a few. All can go through your mind 100 times a day or just pop up every once in awhile. You never know. And these things can be described in SO many ways & in SO many words! I mean there’s a reason the English Dictionary is incredibly thick! But a lot of times, the definitions that aid these words to describe what’s going through our mind doesn’t actually match what Merriam Webster says that word is supposed to mean. And that’s because we are all built different, we take mountains in different strides & we all heal differently.

Life post amp was not easy. I would not use that word to describe living life on one leg. Walking on 2 legs was easy, in my mind. But I would not say life post amp was hard. Others might, but not me. And that’s where the point of this post comes in. The one benefit of crap happening to you is YOU get to make your own definition to the words we know & use often. Do not expect people to understand your definition because unless they walked a mile in your shoes, or hop in my case, they won’t understand. There’s a reason why amps like to talk to other amps or why parents with children who have also developed cancer like to talk to other parents in the same boat. It’s not because they want to create a divide between people who went through sucky stuff and people who are living without knowing the weight of the bricks that life can throw at you. That’s not it at all. In fact we wish no one else has to feel that weight or hop that road. But it’s because they know that these people get the wacky definition we give words post hard stuff. These people don’t ask for explanations or expect us to put our emotions into actual words for others to understand. Nor do they judge my 10/10 moment or compare it to their own. Because words, feelings & emotions post hard stuff can not be compared and I think a lot of you reading this right now can attest to this.

Being able to decide what words actually mean is one of best way to get through a tough situation and make it to the other side. The side where those around you can look at you and wonder how you can make it and still be so positive. And you will make it there one day if you adapt to your surroundings. I’m 100% NOT saying to lower your expectations of what happy truly is. Because anyone that has ever achieved happiness knows it does not have a definition that’s set in stone & is the standard to what it actually is to each of us. But I am saying know what happiness is to you. If you are feeling happy but you term it as “pretty ok” to someone who asks you how you’re doing then “pretty ok” = happy in your books. And it doesn’t need to make sense to anyone but you. If you consider going to the grocery store hard, then it’s hard. No one needs to know your reasoning behind your definition. Sure, sometimes people can guess, but unless they walk a mile in your shoes they have no room to judge your definitions, your feelings or emotions. So today I challenge you to challenge the dictionary. Challenge definitions & find words to describe you in this exact moment. It can be something completely understood or it can be off the wall wacko. If you think you’re feeling “banana” then gosh dang it, banana it is! Either/or is acceptable. But it’s important for you to decide how you’re feeling & not some book written by some old dude or a group of corporate authors who say this is what this emotion or word means. You. No one else. Got it?

#TheOneLeggedMommy #Amputee #YouDecide #ByDefinition #HipArticulation #PostHardStuff #NoJudgement #Amputation #NecrotizingFasciitis