June has been one of those months. It has been a struggle to fight the good fight on many days. There were moments when getting out of bed seemed impossible. My family, although 800 miles away has been a great support system. There is always the encouraging phone call or package of mama’s baked goods. Still, I was in it. I was in the depths of my “growing up” struggle. Where should my career go? Will I have a family? Will I be successful? How do I define success now? The thoughts that make my brain a battlefield every waking morning. One of the most important things that have helped me keep my head up in these times are my friends. More specifically, my friends that have become my family. My framily, if you will.

There are those friends that force you to get out of bed and leave the house. They help you reevaluate and assess your situation with a fresh perspective. They also distract you with a drive through the country or a girly day of pedicures and retail therapy. Some are going through situations similar to yours, some are experiencing their own successes. Those friends that are your surrogate family become your rock in good and bad time and they remind you to see the good in life when you are blinded by your own turmoil. Taking a moment to thank them for being them is so important and remembering that you are so lucky to have them is equally valuable when it comes to digging yourself out of the hole.

Coupled with the gratitude for your family and framily is the ability to see the other positive aspects in your life. Taking joy in the little things. This occurred to me at the drugstore the other day. A man asked me for a dollar and I obliged. He said, ” I will pay you back someday.” I smiled and was suddenly overcome with emotion.  I told him, ” no need, give it to someone else who needs it.”  I was reminded of this story my father always told me about this poor family in India. They were given a bowl of rice for them to eat amongst themselves. Once they saw that their neighbors were starving they shared their bowl of rice with them. I truly believe it is moments like that that remind us of how much good we have in our lives and how even when we are down we are blessed. Pay it forward every opportunity you get. Share your blessings. There will always be someone better than you. There will always be someone worse off than you. Knowing this is a good step in realizing that life is not always a competition; sometimes it is a team sport. We are raised to be competitive in everything that we forget that kindness and love are more important to our success as human beings.

XoXo,
Suruchi