I got dumped.. then I bought a cup of coffee.

"You don't have to have it all figured out to move forward."

Apparently, even rock bottom has a basement.

A little while ago, I could actually taste the ground I had gotten knocked down so low. Strong, independent, ambitious me was suddenly insecure, dark, and broken. A simple breakup made me question my worth, my value, and what I brought to the table. Not only that, but I had been here before a couple years ago. It hurt the same.. maybe even worse.

Everyone has experienced those "world flippers". Whether it is an event like a breakup, a sudden death, an experience that you never saw coming, a lost job, a hard decision about your future, or a broken friendship.. we all have come in contact with things that knock us to the floor.

What got me out of bed?

I would like to say it was my determined demeanor that pushed me to brush myself off, but it wasn't. Not this time. My family had to hug me and remind me who I was before I could even remember how to spell the word "determined".

What really got me out of bed was my favorite $4.50 cup of coffee from a local cafe in the next town over.

It seems silly, (most of the things I write do) but putting all my energy into a cup of coffee was exactly what I needed to remind me that I was good at taking care of myself. A simple gesture to remind me that there were still things in the world that I loved.

So I woke up the next day and did the same thing.. found something simple that I loved and enjoyed every second of it.

Whether it is letting myself have time to read, adding avocado to my sandwich, encouraging myself to buy more plane tickets, I have learned to do something I love everyday.

After all, that is what this life is really about.

No matter what flips your world upside down.. you do not have to have it all figured out to move forward. Remind yourself what you love. Listen when others remind you that you are loved.. Then begin to love yourself!

Wake up tomorrow and eat a good breakfast. Do your hair or don't. Get the extra scoop of ice cream. Go to the beach! Learn something new. Be kind to others and let every choice you make be a brick in the foundation of rebuilding yourself.