The Scene staff
My husband and I simultaneously leaned in to make sure we were reading the indicators on the little white stick correctly. Sure enough, the result was positive.
Those two blue lines would change the course of my life.
My mind raced back to the moment we were standing in line to pay for the pregnancy test. The cashier looked at the box and glanced up at me. “You sure you don’t need two of these?” she asked.
I chuckled to myself as I shook my head no. It had been nine years since my last test, but I had traveled this road with three other children, and I always learned of my fate the first time around.
Now I stood there glaring at the blue lines, knowing my life was about to be turned upside-down, and I thought, “Why now?”
I couldn’t believe this was happening to us again. We were expecting!
My husband and kids seemed thrilled with the news, but I was riding an emotional roller-coaster. Yes, the addition would impact the entire family, but this was going to be my baby.
I would be the one getting up to nurse a crying infant in the middle of the night. I would be the one putting my homework on the back burner to see about the baby’s needs.
It just didn’t seem fair. I was so close to graduating from college, and I didn’t even want to think about the financial strains of bringing a fourth child into the world. What on earth was I going to do?
I had a choice to make. I could either allow this new challenge to thwart my goals or rearrange my life, deal with a new set of demands and keep moving forward.
Adversity doesn’t discriminate. You can’t hide from it. Eventually, everyone must meet it face to face. What we have to do is figure out how to respond once it interrupts our lives.
Your story may not involve an unplanned pregnancy. You may have lost a job or a home, gone through a break-up or suffered from illness.
It’s difficult to keep your focus on education when streams of unfortunate events are coming your way.
My advice is to keep fighting.
You came to school to follow your dreams, but that doesn’t mean life will somehow be kind to you along the way. After you’ve cried and had your pity party, dust yourself off and don’t lose sight of your goals.
After I gave to birth to my daughter, my life became much more difficult. But I’ve learned how to adjust to new circumstances every time life throws me a curve ball.
In fact, my challenges have become motivators to keep pressing forward.
Some nights, I don’t sleep more than four or five hours, and I haven’t had a weekend to myself in a year. The highlight of my morning is enjoying a few moments of tranquility while I sit in the school lobby, waiting for my first class to start.
But giving up is not an option. I’m in my senior year at University of Missouri-St. Louis and maintaining a 3.725 grade-point average.
This is my most challenging semester, yet it also is my strongest academic showing to date.
You don’t have to maintain a high GPA to be successful. Just do your best, and if you need help, seek out resources that are available. Don’t allow your circumstances to defeat you. Adjust to the changes and keep moving forward.
My little angel was definitely an unexpected blessing. Yes, I had to reorganize my life, but her arrival gave me fuel to keep going.
Let your own life’s challenges become the fuel that drives you toward your dreams.