Living a life worthy of celebrating

This past week, George Bush Sr., our 41st President of the United States passed away. Glossing over his entire life of service to his country, because, let’s be honest, your views on his life are yours to have, what we want to focus on is the family man he always was and the kindly man in the wheelchair, he became. The man who in his later years had a wonderful relationship with his Democrat antecessors, President Clinton and President Obama, the man who wore funny socks and who clearly adored his wife of many, many decades, Barbara Bush. He was loved dearly by his children and grandchildren and that is a legacy worth celebrating.

In a 1984 letter, George Bush wrote, "It's a funny thing. When you get older, even if you have an exciting life surrounded by interesting people having a chance to meet all the world's leaders, even with all that, what counts is family and love. We love you already more than tongue can tell.'"

Our lives may never take us into politics or even in a room where vital decisions are made, but every day holds potential, even if you are the CEO of your little family, your life matters so much! You are shaping little humans who will go out into the world, what an awesome responsibility. Making good decisions for yourself in terms of getting help for a mental illness or maintaining your sobriety, or for a myriad of other issues you might be struggling to care for, that is part of your legacy, it is part of who you are, as well as a show of your ability to demonstrate strength in the midst of very trying circumstances.

"Be bold in your caring, be bold in your dreaming and above all else, always do your best." George H. W. Bush

It is hard to live a life that contains sections of which you aren’t the most proud of, but know this, we all make mistakes. Some are big and others are even bigger, but that is life amazing members, that is life. We all in our own way learn how to stay on or arrive on a better path, it just takes some of us a little longer than others to get there.

"History will point out some of the things I did wrong and some of the things I did right."George H. W. Bush

When we fail it feels like we can’t find our footing, that when we relapse or our therapist quits or moves, or we can’t find balance with our eating, or we can’t find the strength to be our true selves; that we never will or that it will never work out, so why keep trying? The reason, because things worth doing don’t come easy. Life isn’t always fun, it isn’t always pleasant, it isn’t even always manageable. But what life does promise is another day to either improve or make more bad decisions, so why not work towards a good life, a step forward, a step towards making things good, a day where you can be proud of yourself.

“I think in defeat you grope for things that are happy, and it's hard.” George H. W. Bush

Live a life that at the end, people remember you fondly, President Bush, the lovely old man with cool socks was once the CIA director, my how life can change! Live a life where you can reinvent yourself into a loveable public character as this great man obviously did so well. All the best-Team SG