Be sure to check out this morning’s 30 Days post if you haven’t already! I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on perseverance.

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Okay, maybe he isn’t really evil per se…but I sure don’t like him! The dentist. *shudder*

And if he had worn a mask like that I would have spit in his face. Good thing I found joy with some snuggle time yesterday morning because joy didn’t have a shot in youknowwhere yesterday afternoon. I had to go to the dentist. Not just for a cleaning either…but for a crown.

Do you SEE what they had to do to my tooth?? It was all a conspiracy too. I had to have a crown because a 12 year old filling was not holding up in that tooth and the location made it unlikely for a new one to last either. I think they just have it out for me and my pocketbook to have made me go through a filling first and now this madness. On the bright side, I learned some lessons while in that dental chair. I know you are just dying for me to share my enlightenment.

1. You can now buy a little breathalizer test to inform you of your stanky breath!

The dental chair had a TV overhead and Rachel Ray was on for my viewing pleasure. I got to see an entire 10 minutes of women tasting different foods and drinks, then blowing into a little contraption to determine the kissable factor of their breath. Seems useful, no?

“Sooo…I had a great time tonight.” –man leans in for kiss- -woman shrieks and pulls handy dandy breath test from purse- “Ohhh, sorry no kissing for me tonight. I had the garlic.” Seriously, people?!?

2. It’s dang hard keeping your mouth open for an eternity entire episode of Rachel Ray. Although that could relate to the thrashing of trying to escape said evil dentist and said show with its mundane topics.

3. I have really small teeth. And drool a lot. Why thank you kind dental assistant for bringing this to my attention and making me even more comfortable in this situation.

4. There seriously needs to be a sarcasm font for bloggers.

5. Chewing on one side of your mouth is HARD.In two weeks I will receive my permanent crown. Which means, until then I have to be very mindful to chew on only one side of mouth and not have anything sticky, chewy, or hard. It’s been less than 24 hours and I already have problems. They must be smoking something if they think I won’t have my pumpkins. At least this will make me savor them? Find joy, right?! 😉

6.  I can now finally relate to my dog. Where drills and machinery act as my torture devices, hers comes in a 25 lb package yielding pom poms.

• Doctor or dentist?
• What talk show can you not stand? I used to like Rachel Ray…now not so much. I don’t really do talk shows though. I think Ellen is the only one I can watch through. And perhaps Oprah.
• What’s the most insane product you’ve seen advertised? It’s a toss up between that breath test and the Shake Weight for me.

Thank you to those of you who reached out in support of my thoughts and emotions last night. I greatly appreciate it. I look forward to these changes and blogging in my true style once again. Time for  me to write without over-analyzing. 😉 Hope you like it!

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When I woke up and checked today’s topic I literally laughed out loud. God sure does have a sense of humor. Perseverance. How….fitting after last night’s sharing.

I never once doubted continuing the 30 Days because I do care about it so very much. I had realized that in order for my passion to continue I had to practice perseverance in being true to myself. Following through can present quite the challenge when its easier to just let things go or ride along in the sweeping currents of others’ wishes and decisions. We have to fight…for the right…to paarrr-tay LIVE OUR LIVES.

As a new mom, “take care of yourself” appears numerous times in the onslaught of advice from others. At first, I blinked with unbelieving eyes because how in the world could a spare moment to care for myself exist when playing booby bar mom to a newborn? Let me tell you – those first 2 weeks were some of the hardest of my life…ranking right up there with the week my father hit me and said he had “tried to love me my entire life but never could” on our family vacation. I loved baby M so much that I lost all sense of self.

Just as I dug my heels in to regain control of my life after my senior year of college, I straightened my shoulders and looked those lost feelings in the eye and said “back off!”. I persevered. It was hard and I felt guilty at times, but I knew caring for myself meant the best for my happiness and my family’s well being.

In reality, anything worthwhile involves struggle. What would our lives look like if we always took the easy road? We have to adopt a will to persevere in those trying times because things will turn around. Our issues only even have a chance of turning into something wonderful with our determination to plow through them backed up by the 1,000 armies of belief in change and hope in good.

No matter what you face today – overcoming eating struggles, feeling unworthy, facing uncertainty for the future, battling a trialing relationship/health issue/work situation, etc – persevere. Remember that you will make it through and that the hard work will be worth it. Listen to your heart, gut, instincts, and God to guide your life…not someone else’s. And not a lesser version of your own either.

• What ways have you seen the benefits of perseverance in your life?
• If you don't want to get too personal, what are some small acts people can do to keep on keeping on?

Check out these awesome blogs for their personal sharing along the 30 DSLR road!

• To Be Determined
• Eat Drink Breathe Sweat
• Ulterior Harmony
• Two Feet Ten Toes
• Days One By One
• Miranda’s Jeans
• Making A Change
• Simply Maren
• Running to a Healthy Life