LIFE
7 Inspirational Stories About Navigating Life
Review of Medium stories published this week that are worth your time
Stories Worth Your Time is a small newsletter digest that shares this week’s popular stories about navigating life’s twists and turns in our daily lives.
It is meant to inspire but also to hold us accountable to grow every day.
Many of the stories have happened or are currently happening. I believe we learn best by watching others. So I look forward to sharing my journey with you in hopes that we both grow.
Sincerely,
Shay
Featured Articles for the Week of 18–25 October 2021
Why You Must Stand Facing Forward in Your ‘Storms’
“Conventional wisdom may not always make sense for the ‘storms’ we encounter in life.”
On September 13, 2020, my father suffered an ischemic stroke that affected the mobility and slight cognitive function of his left brain and left side. Needless, to say I was caught off guard. The fear. The grief. The anger. My life had just turned upside down in a nanosecond and I had to make some tough choices. COVID was in full throttle and my dad was on the seventh floor in the Stroke ward. I was not allowed in to see him. So I left the hospital grounds, around 11 o’clock, and returned to my hotel room.
I remember picking up a pen, sitting in my hotel room, and looking out at the empty night streets of downtown Las Vegas. Not a peep outside except for a few passing cars on the highway. As I attempted to process my grief, I wrote the words I needed to hear.
Click here to read.
Why My Perspective Is Changing About Privilege?
“A personal reflection about my own access and economic privilege.”
As a US Army officer and often an ambassador of this country in war-torn countries, I walked often in the shroud of privilege not often afforded if I were an everyday citizen. I got a taste of being in an esteemed group or class. Interestingly enough, now that I’m retired and no longer afforded the trappings of wearing the uniform, I am readjusting to being an everyday black American. Completely vulnerable. This piece forced me to look at myself and question am I doing enough or am I choosing to hide.
This piece was not written to chastise those with privilege but to open up the discussion and recognize that we all can have some form of it at different points in our lives. The question is, what do we do with it? Are we obligated to act a certain way? And ultimately, can we shift the conversations to something positive that actually benefits a whole of society. For now, my only answer is to work on myself and affect the spaces around me that I can positively affect.
Click here to read.
One Thing We Lose By Living For Everything
“If one day you discovered that your ‘glass balls’ were indeed shatter-proof, would that change anything? It changed things for me.”
I often think about what is a priority and how they should be treated. What I do know is everything can’t and shouldn’t be a top priority. Then nothing is a priority. As my health began to suffer, from trying to do it all, I had to find another way. A way that would keep my peace intact foremost. That’s when I begin to shift how I managed my priorities. I stopped giving everything the name ‘priority’. I also discovered something else which I share more in this short article.
Click here to read.
She Spun Me ‘Round Tightly
A short story when life gets tight
I remember my mother saying, if you live long enough you will go through your own set of transitions. At 43, I am in the thick of one. This is my first major transition that deals with grief, sudden shake-up, and an all-around turn on my axis. Lol.
As I wrote this, I thought of life as a headline character in my story. Then I thought about the mythology of the three sisters that control our thread of life. Maybe it is the optimist in me, but I had to make sense of why, at times, I feel so tight. Like something or someone is just pulling my strings. Those that know me, know that I aim to control every facet of my life. But, life, ain’t got time for that. I whipped up this piece too.
Click here to read.
Shout Out to Other Stories Worth Your Time.
Stories that moved me. Made me think. Stop and pause on their words. Shake my head and want to pick up my pen — again. These are my favorite pieces for this week.
- Piree Lua. I am in love with this writer's on-the-nose sense of humor. I have no doubt you will find joy in this piece, I Reach Inside The Brain of a Blogger and Found a Heart.
- Jen North. The artistry and care of the pen are like a song, it moves. I wanted to share her article, How ADHD Interferes with Mundanity, as a new fan. She shares a beautiful story about dealing with ADHD and raising her child. This piece will not let you down.
- Colleen Millsteed. This piece of poetry was absolutely in your face. I could not look away as I began to experience her words in, My Narcotic Charms. The rush. The disappointment. The fright of addiction. I became an instant fan.
Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts.
Contact me at bebettermediallc@gmail.com.
Shay D. Potter is a military veteran, caregiver by day, and writer by night. They are currently working on their debut contemporary novel, Two Roads Back Together. Follow on Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube.
