It’s snowing AGAIN here in Connecticut, and bitter cold. How’s the weather where you are?  Did you get a chance to get to the market to stock up on food and drink? If you didn’t get out in time, before the latest storm hit, are you going through your kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer to see what you have on hand that you can turn into something warm, delicious and nutritious?

Are you thinking, since when does Coach Iris write a food blog? Is she going to give us some clever recipes to turn some commonplace ingredients into a gourmet dinner?

No, I won’t do that, but I was thinking that just when we believe we can’t stand another day of whatever it is that is hurting or overwhelming us, it feels like along comes a fresh wave of trouble.

For some of us it’s the snow or horrendous cold that we feel right about now we can’t endure for another 24 hrs.  I bet there are a lot of folks in Boston feeling that way, since the Boston area has already seen a good 93 or more inches worth of snow.  For other people, it could be an illness, a time of great loss or sadness in our lives that makes it hard for us to cope with our daily world, or some other problem that feels so overwhelming we believe we have used up every conceivable ounce of energy, hope or resources we once had. We just don’t know how we can withstand any more of whatever we are experiencing.

If you grew up in lean economic times, or have ever been through them, you know that “necessity is the mother of invention”. In my opinion, it is actually desperation that can often create solutions. It is a matter of thinking through and choosing the right ones, and at times we may need a little help doing that.

Have you ever seen anyone create a meal out of a couple of eggs, some rice, some beans, or whatever…?   Have you ever stretched a pot of soup and transformed it into three meals by adding some dumplings, a small amount of meat, a few extra veggies, or whatever was on hand?

So how can you do something similar in your life, that isn’t related to food? Is there a way to take stock of your inner “cupboard” and to pull out the resources that might be hidden way in the back, behind the overwhelm of whatever troubles are plaguing you, causing you misery, and causing you to feel you just can’t tolerate any more ?

What resources or “stuff” do you feel you used to have, that helped you survive tough times? Can you think of a time in the past when you believed you had hit rock bottom, but you somehow still managed to pull out an idea, or found a strategy that got you through whatever it was? In a flash, something came up “out of nowhere” for you. You may have reached out to a trusted and creative friend.  You may have gone to a mentor,  to a clergy person, or directly to your Higher Power, and even without an obvious solution in sight, the reaching out got you moving again, and helped you find new hope and new energy.

Underneath the dead weight of your troubles, of your afflictions, you were able once to uncover something of value. You were helped to discover even a small new path you could try out,  a way to take the first steps in transforming your weary load into a workable plan, and possibly eventually into a basket of new blessings. If you did it once, you can do it again, no matter how insurmountable it all feels at this moment.

Even if you believe your cupboard is bare and  coming up with a morsel of hope, a crumb of relief that will lighten the dead weight of whatever you are enduring, is a Herculean task. there is always something that can be done. You probably won’t solve everything all at once. You won’t be able to wave a wand and transform your stone soup into a rich broth full of good things, without reaching way down into your resources, and finding a bit of something to reinvest in yourself. You need to be brave enough to search through your deepest, darkest cupboards, and also brave enough to reach out and ask for help and collaboration. Then watch your stone soup begin to bubble and to take on a different form. Feel and taste new hope. You can do it.

Iris Arenson-Fuller helps people who have been through loss of all kinds, and tough times, who want to make positive changes. She helps those who want to stop suffering and start savoring life, as well as succeeding at it.  Iris wants to help YOU!  Why not have a conversation to find out how your life can be different and better?  Email to set up a time to chat.

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