Finding that Silver Lining

  

 I always try to look for the good in every situation, for after the rainstorm, there's always a rainbow, right?

   When I was around two-years-old, my parents bravely gave me up for adoption. 
   Things at home weren't going so well and they felt like I’d have a better chance at a good life with a more stable family. 
   I commend them for their painful decision. It is one that has allowed me to take (calculated) risks and to also see the Silver Lining in every bad situation, no matter how painful it may be.

   It is this line of thought that has gotten me through some of the roughest parts of my Peace Corps service.

Here are some times when I learned to count my blessings instead of wallow through sorrow:

      1. Bedbugs: There’s absolutely nothing about bedbugs in the Peace Corps brochures so let me tell you about these little fuggers, they’re hell!!! They make you go crazy and destroy your life. The buildings here are old and are the perfect hiding places for these little bugs, who really like to show their asses in the summertime. When I first got them, I cried a  stream. And when they showed up for the fourth time, I cried an ocean. During fumigation, I had to take everything out of my house to clean and spray. It was depressing when the suckers came back AFTER fumigation! I hate them and don’t wish them on the devil, but bed bugs taught me to let go, as I had to throw away my suitcases to stop them from having a central place to breed. They also taught me to appreciate my house because, well, I have a roof over my head. And  a bed to sleep in, even if it can bare bugs!

2.      Blackberry Blues: My BlackBerry is my TV set. My magazine. My link to civilization. When it’s not working, neither am I. I’m depressed. Can’t think straight. I’m highly irritated and annoyed. Yep, all over a cell phone. The Silver Lining is that I experienced true generosity of a friend who let me borrow is old BlackBerry. This kept me connected to my loved ones in America during a time when I needed them the most.  And, I ended up getting a new BlackBerry because my cell phone company sent my old one off to Joburg for repairs and couldn't track it. So a good friend and a new phone came out of my BlackBerry blues.

3.      Diarreah: ‘Nuff said.

4.      Bedbugs, BlackBerry blues and diarrhea all in one week: Three calamities all in the same week was NOT cool. I wanted to lie down after my digestive system and phone broke down but my poor bed was sick, too! It was so horrible that I wouldn’t wish the suffering on my worst enemy. The Silver Lining? A lovely care package I received from a dear friend at the end of that terrible week.

   As you can see, I’m a half glass full kind of girl. 
   Finding the beauty in painful and difficult situations is what I specialize in. 
   Doing so has made the harder parts of my service more bearable, and made me really appreciative of this experience.