Attitude towards life

Attitude can really make or break a person. If someone is always walking around constantly complaining and fretting they are going to be less likely to be happy. I really believe that sometimes people can take life way to seriously and it can make them old fast. This past week I have seen this lesson over and over again in all areas of my life. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, who you are, or how much money you have bad and good things are going to happen to you. At the end of the day it's how you respond to your world that decides how your life is going to play out. Don't let stress get the best of you - life is too short for that.

I realize that this is probably the first time I have actually wrote this on my blog but for the past month for the first time I have actually become home sick. It's kind of weird that after 18 months for the first time I have really desired to be home. It's not that I don't still love Guyana, I do, it's just that I miss my family. I've realized that it's not because i'm really upset in life that I become homesick but rather because i'm really happy. I've learned I would rather share all my joys with those I love than my sorrows. I think this realization really helped me in life. Am I always trying to share the good or am I trying to share the bad? Don't get me wrong we all need times in which we need people to support us and lift us up - but are we always leaning on other people or are we giving and taking. Do we share our joy just as easily as we share our sorrows.

This week at school the students I teach continued to work on an assignment so I didn't have to do as much teaching but more one on one interaction. I realized that I am not called to teach a classroom but I am definitely called to work with individuals one on one. One of my students came up to my desk to work on my computer with me because he was having a really hard time. When it was time for the students to have free time he continued to work. I asked him if he wanted to stop and he told me no miss, I don't want free time. This boy week after week continues to bring joy to my heart because he really wants to learn. He is very slow and had a terrible time reading but desires to do better. I definitely need to learn from him because there are times in which I need to be like him and put in extra work but I instead take the easy road out and do as little work as I can to get the job done.

I lead a presentation this week for non adherent patients (patients not taking their medicine or patients who have fallen away from the program). I would have to say that this is one of my favorite things to do. We don't hold these session because we want to punish the patients but because we really want them to understand what they need to do to help their health. It's always such a big sigh of relief when we get to have a lively discussion after the presentation because I feel like i've actually taught something. Seeing people come together and talk about their common problems often helps others to see that they are not alone and gives them extra energy to keep trying.

I also worked one on one with a patient helping them to understand how to fill her pill box. It's something I think is so easy and simple to understand and I assume that individuals know how to do it. When we were practicing it dawned on me that she really was frustrated so I reaffirmed her and reminder her that she could do it. We practiced and practiced and at the end of the session she really had joy on her face because she understood. How many times when we are fluent at something do we dismiss others who just don't understand. Knowledge is a gift that is to be shared - but when we become prideful we can really hurt others who don't share the same knowledge as us. It's like if  you had a 50 loaves of bread and saw a hungry man you would share the bread with him... but with knowledge sometimes we just get quickly frustrated and aren't willing to share. Patience is a virtue for a reason and that was definitely my lesson this week.

 Looking forward to this week as we have another public holiday coming up!!

Remember the small things in life can make a big difference. Stop stressing over the little things because it's going to make you older faster and as my grandma zup would always say "one day at a time".

Love always,

Ashley Ann