Amor Fati

Love Your Fate, which is, in fact, your life.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

My husband and I travelled around the world for three months last year, and in the last week of our travels, I got into a severe bicycle accident. I damaged my knee so badly that I couldn't walk for months and still have the bruise - over 10 months later. I hit my wrist so hard in the fall that I still don't have full functionality of it to this day.

When I got into the accident, the first thought I had, after acknowledging the searing pain, was Thank God it wasn't worse. I was immediately reminded of a friend who passed away from just such a bicycle accident. It could have been much worse for me. But it wasn't. And I was thankful.

Things happen to all of us.

And as they are happening or after they happen, we label those things as "good" or "bad". But looking back on my life and at all those things, I have a hard time labelling anything as truly bad.

There is a Latin phrase: Amor Fati, which loosely translates to "love of one's fate" or "love of fate". It is the belief that everything that happens is good.

And when I sit down to think back on my life, I realize I subscribe to that philosophy. When I look back, I wouldn't change a thing. Not the challenges, not the obstacles, not the outcomes. Even if they didn't work in my favour at the time.

Because yes, things have happened to me, but all of those things, "good" or "bad", made me the person I am today. And I kinda like me. These things I have gone through have been blessings, even if I didn't feel that way as they were happening.

That fight, that failure, that disappointment - it was all good stuff, because here I am - still standing strong.

So when something happens that seems unfavourable, I've started to think:
Maybe the universe has something even better in store for me.

Since I started to "love my fate", I've also started to believe that the best awaits me. If it hurts now, it is because this experience is going to make me a better me. If I don't get something I desperately wanted, yes I may be disappointed in the short term, but that just means something bigger is out there trying to find me.

It has even changed the way I hope. Instead of praying and asking the universe for things, all I say now is, "Please let this happen if it's meant to." It's amazing how such a small change in thought can make such a big difference.

It's almost magical.

Try it.
Love your fate.
Love your life. 

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