What people say to me

I've had people say to me: how do you do it? Your life is so hard. You've been through so much. How do you keep going? How do you keep your head up even though your life's a big mess?

It's a good question I'm sure, and to others it probably seems like I'm super smiley all the time and have my life pulled together and my head on straight, but they don't see the sleepless nights and the tears and the hard tough decisions I make in deciding that every thing will be okay.

What they really don't seem to understand, is that to me, there honestly isn't another option.


I don't know about you, but I sure wasn't made to waste my life away. I'm not destined to fail. There is no way that I can just look at all my trials and say "that's it. I'm giving up." I just wasn't raised that way.

Is life tough as heck? YES. But one thing that life's trials have taught me is that I'm tougher. Lots of bad things are going to happen, and that doesn't mean I'm a bad person. Sometimes, I'm an idiot. Sometimes I make really poor goober choices and that causes some of my trials. Throughout my life I've also happened to get hit by trial trains of sickness, emotional instability, depression, anxiety, work pressures, economic worries, backstabbing friends and horrible "break-ups" and family drama but you know what?

The key to life is to keep on keeping on. Because a prophet in the Book of Mormon something very, very wise.

"this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold, the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors"

You know what that means to me? It means amidst trials and pains and temptations and sickness and affliction, I find joy. I find so much joy in knowing that this life is the time to prepare to meet God: thus it is a time to make mistakes, to repent of sins, to learn from experiences.

As long as we are trying our best in this mortal world and picking ourselves up as we fall, Christ is there.

I know that.

I feel that.

I love that.

So yes, life is hard, it stinks, it's not fair. But I take comfort in knowing that it isn't supposed to be.
The trick to life is learning to be happy in spite of all that goes wrong. The trick to life is to count our blessings *which sidenote are like beyond numerous* instead of drowning in our sorrows and problems *which sidenote also happen to be many so it gets a little tricky*

Whoever you are out there, be happy. Keep your head up. Keep on keeping on. It's worth it. Trust me.

Now, don't get me wrong on this. I'm not saying forget about your trials, sing a little song and get over it. No way Jose. If you are sad, BE SAD. Embrace it. If you are upset, THAT'S OKAY. But don't stay sad, don't stay angry. Let the emotion ebb and flow through you, and when it takes its natural course and it's done, you be done too. Don't hold on to grudges, don't carry any burden too long. Learn to be happy even when you're sad, disappointed, confused. Happiness truly is an underlying state of being, not so much of an emotion.

Life is tough, but you are tougher. You'll be a better person because of whatever hard thing you're going through, even if you can't see that in the here and now. Be strong.

I love the Lord and am grateful for His sacrifice, His eternal Sacrifice for me.
Whenever I tell the world that life isn't fair, He reminds me, "Aud, you're not the first one to think that"
Life sure wasn't easy for or fair to Him. But He did it anyway, with a happy and loving heart.

That is why I do what I do. That is why I keep my head up. That is why I am who I am.

There isn't much of another choice.