ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The Valley of Life

Updated on May 19, 2013

Maybe it's OK to Just Stay in the Valley

I'm a very determined person. Sometimes too determined I think. Sometimes when life is knocking me down I think I try too hard to bounce back, even though my legs are faltering and my arms are flailing. Some people might say well this is a good thing - just keep getting up like a boxer in a ring - keep throwing those jabs and try to keep standing up. Keep kicking those legs and struggle to get back on your feet.

Yes it's probably a good thing to be determined - but the older I get the more I realize that it's also OK to just stay in the valley for awhile once life has knocked you down, beat you up and spit you out. Valley living can have it's upsides. At least when you realize you are in one of those life valleys, you can take sometime to breathe, suck up some new fresh air - and collect your self. Hard to do if you are out in the trenches of life struggling to keep your head above the water.

Giving Up Is Not An Option

My therapist says I have been in a "survival mode" for many years now. I really don't like that analogy but I suppose it's true. Life has thrown so many twists and turns at me in the last few years that sometimes I just want to scream "Will this EVER STOP!!!". I am tired of flailing, tired of taking in a deep breath only to suck up water and go back under into funky depths again. Tired of just surviving -just barely making it. I am just tired of swimming this marathon survival test.

Yes I bet some of you might be worried, oh no she sounds depressed, sounds like she's giving up, she sounds suicidal.

To that I say NO WAY. I could never just let my body go and sink into the depths. I'm too much of a fighter for that. No matter what comes my way, I always have a little part of me that says "get up and walk!!. Part of my heritage I suppose. My dad was a fighter, and he NEVER gave up. So who am I to give up? Giving up is not an option, but perhaps just laying low in the valley for awhile is...........

So What Does Valley Living Entail?

I think the hardest part of life for me is realizing when i am in the "valley'. But in life they say recognition is the first step to recovery....

So OK, I admit it, I'm in the valley right now. I've been fighting it all week, trying to keep myself busy, trying to pretend that I'm OK. Well I'm not OK. I'm tired and I need a rest. I can still see the glorious mountains above me that I would love to climb, but I realize that I'm just too tired and worn out to climb them right now. I am decidedly in a valley, but I can make this a nice valley if I so choose. I can look around me at all the greenery, the gentle rolling slopes, and start taking one small step at a time.

Baby steps.

I can stop and take in some fresh air and quit hyperventilating just trying to keep up with all my thoughts.

I can stop trying to suck air in and just stop to smell the flowers here in the valley, and look at all the glorious colors around me.

I can spend time with other valley dwellers -and together we can dream and wonder about the majesty of the mountains together, and between us we can gather strength to ascend the mountains ahead.


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)