life in technicolour

i couldn't deny it even if i tried, my friends. my life has been rather interesting and i wouldn't just say, "as of late," but the past 8 months have been quite unexpected, if you will. to just give you all an idea of what i've been through, i'll give you a quick update:

in the past 8 months, i have:

--returned home from serving a mission in the Switzerland Zurich/Alpine German-Speaking Mission because of a back injury
--undergone extensive chiropractic treatment
--returned to school
--had the unknown back problem return
--discovered what sent me home and what returned was actually a herniated disc the size of a rather large thumb nail
--had 2 cortisone shots, which made everything worse
--undergone physical therapy

and most recently (2 weeks ago today, to be exact), i had back surgery removing said herniated disc.

looking back on everything, i kind of wish i had just had the surgery done right away, but i've grown so much and met some incredible people throughout this process, so even though it's been frustrating at times, i'm so grateful for the experiences i've had.

isn't life so amazing? just look outside--it's gorgeous! there is so much to be happy about! i'm eternally grateful to have had a positive attitude throughout this entire process; it's certainly blessed me greatly. life is too short to be unhappy and we have far too many blessings in our lives to not be of good cheer.

"come what may and love it." i remember Elder Wirthlin giving that talk a couple of years ago. i was living in Vienna at the time and ever since i've heard that talk, i've tried to develop that attitude. fast forward nearly 2 years to when i was serving in Richterswil, bedridden because i could no longer walk due to the pain. i studied the talk once more and as i continued to do what i could and studied the scriptures, i was blessed with an optimistic and cheerful attitude.

i won't even try to deny it, though. i was completely devastated. i loved my mission and had always wanted to serve, so why had that happened? there are so many times we won't receive the answers to our greatest questions. i have no idea why that happened to me when it did, but i find it amazing at what i've experienced within the past year. how can i not be happy? i've been and continue to be so blessed. i had the chance to serve a mission and i've met the most amazing people!

if i had to give a bit of advice to anyone, i would simply say to cherish every moment you have with someone because life is full of surprises. be of good cheer and constantly strive to see the innumerable blessings Heavenly Father bestows upon us.

life is just amazing. take a step back and look at everything you have, my friends.