Some individuals are fortunate enough to have a living example of steady calm on a daily basis while growing up. Others, myself included, weren’t so lucky and so have spent years bumbling and fumbling our way around trying to do the right thing, remain calm under pressure and above all, maintain a level head.
In my upbringing, there was no steady calm. Instead, there was a dependable violent chaos that might erupt at any given moment. As such, I was provided no measure to determine which things were worth getting stressed over and the ones I should let go.
Patience was not a trait synonymous with my name. In fact, most who knew me back when, would have agreed I was a rather uptight hostile individual. The fact that I was raising three young children while my husband was mostly away on business didn’t help my stress level. But, as most of us do, I learned to adapt to my situation and get through.
Of course, that didn’t allow any time for self-improvement. That kicked into high gear a short number of years back once my children were older, and I found myself with more time on my hands. It was then that I took a hard look at the person I was. How I’d allowed myself to become a byproduct of my upbringing rather than fight to find a better way.
My quest to self-improve, has led me many wonderful places, but mostly, it has taught me to surround myself with quality people—those who help build me up, make me more than I thought I could become on my own and ones who I can show my truest self to—messy human parts and all—and they’ll still stand beside me, embracing me all the way.
The best part of surrounding myself with these people was the unexpected gems I found along the way. How each friend had something valuable to teach me. Some helped hone my coping skills. Others made me more grounded. Still more expressed such awe at how I calmly handle things that I thought twice before acting, so I wouldn’t disappoint them.
To each of these friends, I’m beyond open and honest with my gratitude for the examples they set for me. Though I may not have been blessed with a living daily example of steady calm while growing up, the ones my friends now set help guide me along a straighter course so I tend to bumble and fumble less. 
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