Something Good This Way Comes

I am in the midst of learning a very important life lesson...from failure comes success. I have always associated negative thoughts with failure. To this point in my life I can't say that I've looked in the mirror and said that I was glad I failed at something I tried. I have always thought that accomplishment was the only road to a successful life, meaningful relationships, validation, happiness...just life itself. Now I know that that can be the case as well as so much more.

My journey in life began with every blessing, every need met...execrably so. I have always been surrounded by love, opportunity, support and safety. Growing up was not a generally difficult thing for me...until I hit my mid 20's. I made it through all the petty things in grade school, junior high and high school. I met, fell in love with and married my best friend and most wonderful man. I have always been close to my family. I have never been the type of person to have a million friends but those I have I treasure dearly. So...what hit so hard? What wall did I run into that challenged all of this? ME! If you notice...everything I have written was all about others. I value other people, their talents, their strengths and weaknesses. I sing their praises...and then when the room is quiet and I find myself alone with my thoughts, I turn inward...looking to find peace. When I was younger I don't think I understood peace or the feeling of it. When I came into my 20's I was ready to feel that and peace is not something that you can manufacture. I can't take some peace with some water and thirty minutes later I feel it. I can't jump into the lake and have peace cool me in the summer. I have to...get to feel peace...find that part of myself that no one else knows about. That part of myself that IS peace.

Anyway, when I went looking for peace I really went looking. I looked in accomplishments...school, work, marriage. I looked in books and religion. I looked in my relationships with others to see if my strand of peace was somehow associated to another. I looked to life for peace and I turned my back on life for peace. THEN it occurred to me...finally...that peace is in me. Innately peace is Chelsea Patrice Erickson Smith. It is a girl turned woman. It is an individual not a couple. It is a feeling not a book. It was and is within me.

Now, trust me when I say that the avenues I have taken to discover my peace are well trodden. Their are many...many!!! And they all seem to have their own medium in which they were discovered. I value my journey and experiences so much yet it intrigues me that I really do accept my failures in life, against life, with others, in school, in work, just in living, as my successes. There is detail, once again that I will leave to my heart and my heart only to know. But don't let that lead you to believe that I don't share this lesson with you.

I'm writing this post in honor of someone very dear to my heart that is going through an extremely hard experience in her life. I'm not even certain she reads this blog. I am connected to her in various capacities and consider her a fundamental person in my life daily. If you are reading this...you deserve to know this...

I do believe that challenges can make a human stronger. I do believe that life is ruled and commanded by energy. I believe wholeheartedly in miracles. I believe that everything happens for a reason (whether considered good or bad). I believe that being logical does have it's place but spirituality does also. I believe that there is reason to accept the past, live in the now and know that the future will happen. Most of all my dear, sweet friend...I believe "something good this way comes."

Much love to you all.