National Infertility Week- 2019- Perspective

I find it so interesting how my word of the year usually comes to me in April.  It is also the time where my current word shows how absolutely perfect it has been for the year.  Okay, I know that most people do their word of the year in January as a Hello New Year! I am a teacher.. so yes, I celebrate the New Year.. but I am also on school schedule so my years run different.

This week is National Infertility Week.  You can find information here. I have also blogged here, here, here, and here. The theme this year is #infertilityuncovered I went back and read my blogs, and found it so interesting how much my mindset has changed and how much I have grown. I also do not write these blogs for sympathy.. it is a way for me to share my own journey and share how I have uncovered infertility.   

My journey of infertility began in my late teens/early 20's I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) I have done the meds, the shots, the doctors visits and so much more. I still shed tears (I am thankfully human) but as I reflect this week on my own infertility journey Perspective is the perfect word and this quote fit it so well.

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." Carlos Castaneda.

When we first started going through the journey of wanting to start a family, there were many times where I made myself miserable. I did that by comparing myself to my friends, I did that by giving myself symptoms that I thought were of my body doing what it needed to do, I did that by thinking I was less of a woman because I was not able to get pregnant.  Realistically, I still have some of these thoughts, but I have so many more times where I remind myself of all that I do have.

I make myself strong by reminding myself:
-I am married to a wonderful husband.. and our path is exactly where it should be.
-I am surrounded by amazing friends that continually lift me up
-I am surrounded by amazing people that allow me to work with their kids (whether that is through Girl Scouts, Destination ImagiNation, school activities)

This whole year, my perspective has changed when it comes to where I am in life. I know that I will probably never be a biological mother.  This does hurt my heart at time (remember.. I am human.. and mother's day does get tough!) But, as I look at my word for this year of Perspective, it reminds me to step back and remind myself what I do have. 

When I get caught up in the journey that I thought I was supposed to have- whether that be life, jobs, infertility.. I have reminded myself to take a step back and take a moment to look at various perspectives. 

To those that are on your own journey to begin a family- I wish you luck and love. I hope that your road leads you to where you need to be! To those that have families already- I am SO happy for you! To those that have traveled the infertility journey with loss- I LOVE you. To those that have a family that are not biologically yours- Congratulations! To those that are on the path that might not ever lead to a child of your own- I am here for you.  No matter which journey you might be on, or what mile you are on that road- the infertility one is full of bumps, turns.. and let's be real a few potholes that you might not have realized was there.

Although we are talking infertility this week, it is something that happens every day to so many people. This was a great article on Debunking the Top 3 Myths of Infertility. My perspective reminds me how lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my circle of family and friends.

From my blog in 2016:
To those that might be on their own infertility journey, I wish you luck.. I wish you peace.. and I wish you LOTS of love! It is a tough journey, but then so is life. Good luck in whatever journey you might be on.