Finding the Sunshine in Life’s Unexpected Seasons 🍂☀️
Good time of day, beauties!!! I hope you are all doing fantastically well, and I hope you are all enjoying the changes in the weather.
If you're in Miami like I am, you might have noticed the three degrees cooler that it gets in the morning... 😂
That was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell.
But no, seriously! You can actually feel that something is changing.
I hope this post finds you living your best life. ❤️
Fall is officially here! 🍂
Even though I live in Miami, where "fall" doesn't exactly mean crisp mornings, colorful trees, and pulling out our favorite sweaters, there is still something about this time of year that feels different.
The days feel a little different. The light changes. The air has a different feeling to it. Pumpkin everything starts showing up everywhere. Halloween decorations begin appearing, and before we know it, the holiday season will be here.
Fall has always been one of my favorite times of year. When I was younger, I mostly loved it because of Halloween. 🎃 But as I've grown older, I've started appreciating fall for a completely different reason.
Fall reminds me that change is a natural part of life.
And honestly, that's something I have had to learn over and over again.
🍂 Life Doesn't Always Change When We're Ready
One of the hardest things about life is that we don't always get to choose when our seasons change.
Sometimes we get to make the decision.
We graduate.
We start a new job.
We move.
We fall in love.
We decide to chase a dream.
But sometimes life changes without asking us first.
Sometimes you lose someone.
Sometimes a relationship ends.
Sometimes your health changes.
Sometimes you have an accident.
Sometimes you become a caregiver.
Sometimes you lose a job.
Sometimes the future you pictured for yourself suddenly doesn't look anything like the future you're actually living.
I've experienced one of those unexpected seasons myself.
Eleven years ago, I was in a car accident that completely changed my life.
Before my accident, I had plans, dreams, and an idea of what I thought my future would look like.
Then, in one moment, everything changed.
I became a traumatic brain injury survivor.
I had to relearn things I never thought I would have to relearn.
Walking.
Talking.
Swallowing.
Going back to school.
Figuring out who I was after something so life-changing happened to me.
And even though I have come incredibly far, recovery didn't magically end one day.
There are still things I deal with.
There are still things I have to work around.
There are still days when my brain gets tired, when I need extra reminders, or when I have to slow down.
But I've also learned something incredibly important:
A changed life doesn't mean a ruined life.
Sometimes it means you're going to have to discover a different way to live it.
🍁 Maybe We're Supposed to Change, Too
Think about the trees in the fall.
They don't hold onto their leaves forever.
Eventually, they let them go.
And for a while, the tree may look bare.
But we know that's not the end of the story.
It's simply another part of the cycle.
I think people are a lot like that.
There are things we hold onto because we're afraid of what will happen if we let them go.
An old version of ourselves.
An old relationship.
An old dream.
An old expectation.
The person we thought we were supposed to become.
Sometimes we think that letting go means giving up.
But sometimes letting go is actually making room.
Making room for healing.
Making room for new dreams.
Making room for new people.
Making room for a version of yourself that you haven't met yet.
And maybe that's one of the biggest lessons I've learned from my own unexpected season.
You don't have to become the person you were before something happened.
You are allowed to become someone new.
☀️ The Sunshine Is Still There
Here's the thing about the sun.
Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it disappeared.
Clouds can cover it.
Rain can hide it.
Nighttime can make it seem far away.
But the sun is still there.
I think life works the same way.
There are seasons when our sunshine feels obvious.
We're happy.
We're accomplishing our goals.
We're surrounded by people we love.
Everything seems to be falling into place.
And then there are seasons when finding the sunshine takes a little more effort.
Maybe you're healing.
Maybe you're grieving.
Maybe you're starting over.
Maybe you're struggling financially.
Maybe you're trying to figure out your career.
Maybe you're living with a disability that nobody else can see.
Maybe you're adjusting to a life you never expected to have.
Maybe you're simply asking yourself:
“What am I supposed to do now?”
If that's you, I want you to know something.
You don't have to have everything figured out.
And you don't have to pretend that your difficult season isn't difficult.
You can acknowledge that something hurts while still believing that something beautiful can come afterward.
Both things can be true.
🌻 Your Season Doesn't Define Your Entire Story
One thing I don't want people to believe is that their current circumstances are the definition of who they are.
You are more than what happened to you.
You are more than your diagnosis.
You are more than your disability.
You are more than your breakup.
You are more than your mistakes.
You are more than the job you lost.
You are more than the chapter you're currently living.
I am more than the car accident I survived.
Being a TBI survivor is an important part of my story, but it isn't the entire story.
There is still so much life left to live.
There are dreams I still want to accomplish.
Places I still want to visit.
People I still want to meet.
Things I still want to create.
And honestly?
I think that's true for all of us.
🍂 Maybe This Is Your Season of Becoming
Maybe you're not behind.
Maybe you're becoming.
Maybe you're not starting over.
Maybe you're starting differently.
Maybe the path you planned didn't work out because life is taking you somewhere you couldn't see yet.
I don't know what season you're currently in.
But I do know that seasons change.
The difficult ones.
The beautiful ones.
The confusing ones.
The unexpected ones.
They all change.
So if you're currently walking through a season you never expected, give yourself some grace.
You don't have to rush through it.
You don't have to compare your journey to someone else's.
And you don't have to know exactly what comes next.
Just keep going.
Take the next step.
Look for the little things that bring you joy.
Find your people.
Take care of yourself.
Pray if that's where you find your strength.
Rest when you need to rest.
Celebrate the little victories.
And most importantly...
Keep looking for the sunshine. ☀️
Because sometimes the sunshine isn't found in having the life you originally imagined.
Sometimes it's found in realizing that even after everything changed...
you are still here.
And as long as you're here, there is still another day.
There is still another opportunity.
There is still another dream.
There is still another chapter.
There is still more sunshine to find.
So here's to fall. 🍂
Here's to change.
Here's to letting go.
Here's to becoming.
And here's to finding the sunshine in life's unexpected seasons.
Whatever season you're in right now, I hope you remember: your story isn't over. ❤️
Until next time,
Keep finding your sunshine. ☀️
— Beatriz
Living by the Sunshine
