Skip to main content

Hope Through Adversity

“All our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” ~ Walt Disney

If you’ve spent more than 2 minutes with me, you’re probably aware that I love Disney. Whether it’s my vast Disney wardrobe or the fact that I can connect any conversation with a Disney quote, it becomes clear pretty quickly that I’m a Disney fanatic. For many people, Disney is a kiddish way to spend 90 minutes every time a new movie comes out. They enjoy the film and move on with their lives, likely forgetting about Disney until the next movie trailer is released. Who has time to think about Disney in the middle of the busy, hectic realities of adulthood?

Me. Let me tell you why.

For me, Disney is so much more than a catchy song, a family vacation, or a quick trip to the movie theater. Disney embodies imagination, adventure, and the belief that there’s a “great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day.” When the realities of life nearly knock me down, there’s a soft, Mickey Mouse-shaped pillow to catch my fall (or at least soften the blow).

Disney was created on the cornerstones of dreaming and believing. It’s there to remind us that no matter our current situation, tomorrow holds new hope. Disney not only encourages us to believe in the power of our dreams, but empowers us to chase them. As the Happily Ever After fireworks show so perfectly states, “You are the key to unlocking your own magic. Now go. Let your dreams guide you.” Whether it’s Cinderella reminding me that nobody can “order me to stop dreaming,” Mulan teaching me that with adversity blooms beauty, or Remy prompting me to shift my focus from my past to my future, Disney consistently proves itself to be more than just fun and fanfare. Beneath the upbeat music and beautiful animation is a core lesson and the encouragement that I can control my own destiny. No matter how difficult life gets, I have the power to find my own “happily ever after.”

As everybody has, I’ve had a healthy scoop of adversity in my life. Growing up, my mother was very sick.
For nearly a decade, I had to watch her fight for her life. We had many hospital sleepovers and lonely nights before my mother was healthy enough to spend any significant time outside of the hospital. During this time, I also watched my father struggle with an addiction that held on with a strong grip. Eventually, the autoimmune struggles that I watched nearly take my mother found it’s way to me. Diagnosed at the age of 17, Guillain Barre, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease, wrecked my world. I went from being a college-scholarship soccer player to being wheelchair-bound within a month. With this came years of treatments, physical therapy, and medication to get my body to function even close to how a healthy body should. To this day, I still struggle with the physical impact this disease has had on my body. I say all of this not to invoke pity or sadness, but rather because I believe that every person reading this can find some commonalities between my story and their own. Everyone has faced hardships in life. Many of which I can relate with and many of which are beyond my life experience.

“What does this have to do with Disney?” you may ask. For me, Disney has consistently been a close friend. Someone to hold me in my sadness and show me the hope that remains in the world, even in the midst of life-shattering pain. My intent in this is not to push you to watch a Disney movie or book your next trip to Walt Disney World, but rather to encourage you to find your “Disney.” What is it that brings you joy? What simple pleasure can you turn to as a way to lift your spirits when adversity comes your way? Life is hard, and misfortune is often unavoidable. Find what makes your spirit soar, even when extra weight is added to your shoulders. Discover what it is that empowers you to chase your dreams and hold onto hope.

Maybe your “Disney” is Disney, or perhaps something completely different. Whatever it is, find it and hold onto it tightly. You never know when you may need it most.

~Chloe Clark
                                              Chloe and Chewbacca

                                              Chloe with dad, Tim...

                                             Chloe with Hubby, Hayden



You may connect with Chloe on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBass9800 
or Instagram: @chloe.clark97

Give her a follow for inspiring and fun content! 



And as always, If you are interested in becoming one of our featured guest writers, we'd love for you to join our community of bloggers! Reach out to Becca Canny at becca.vented@gmail.com.


                        

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fitting, My First Was in an Irish Bar

Written by: Chrisie Canny So, for those of you who know me and the fact that I met my husband in a bar in Brooklyn, you may be assuming what  Fitting, My First Was in an Irish Bar  is all about. And I am here (this time only) to tell you to get your minds out of the gutter. This is not a blog about the first time I had a drink in a bar…ha.., did you think I would say sex? Well…anyway… this is about the first time I finally let someone read my chapter in the Anthology Magnificently Made and very fittingly it happened in an Irish Bar, the old Irish Pub in AC to be exact. It’s also a story about the fear of being a writer and putting something out into the world for everyone to pick at and scrutinize. Let me go back over a year ago when my now publishers Jess and Jenn started posting on social media about how they had a dream of bringing 33 women together to write an Anthology. 33 women to share their journeys to help lift other women. Sounded like my cup of tea just by the descr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 8 Ways to Improve Your Immunity

  Most of us know that good Nutrition is essential for supporting a strong immune system. Nutrition not only comes in what we put in our body, it is also connected to lifestyle and other factors: Here is just 8 things to keep in mind and to create in your everyday habits: Vitamin D - helps activate immune cells. We do need the sun to synthesis vitamin D. The sun converts cholesterol found under the skin to vitamin D. Vitamin D is known to fight many cancers. For cancers like melanoma, the sun is not always an enemy. Your weakened immune system is your enemy, and your lifestyle has probably triggered your health problems. Low vitamin D has been linked to a weakened immune system, multiple sclerosis, jaundice, cancer, PMS, arthritis, under active thyroid, acute depression, dermatitis, osteoporosis and many other diseases and conditions. If you are unable to get enough sun, please consider taking a vitamin D supplement. Good sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, eggs, and mus...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Identify Stress and Anxiety and 10 Tips that will help

  Hi, I am Meredith Van Ness, founder of Balanced + Well Counseling, a therapist, and a life coach. I support and empower women to overcome their stress and anxiety, release the limiting self-doubt holding them back, and build confidence so they can focus their energy on what matters most.  We’ve all experienced more stress than usual in the last couple of years.  So now normal and everyday stresses may be putting you in a constant place of feeling out of control or overwhelmed. Although some stress is a natural part of life, we must learn to handle it in healthy ways so our stress does not always spiral into anxiety. Being in touch and admitting that we are stressed is a great place to start. It’s when we’re honest with ourselves that we can begin to do the work. Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When it is working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. Stress can also help you rise to a challenge. It’s what ke...
Post a Comment
Read more