My husband and in-laws are driving with me to run errands, and my husband tells the story of the worst internship he ever had as a veterinarian’s assistant. It involved losing a dog, being attacked by a cat, and other tales too graphic for my blog.
“It was the best worst thing,” he claims. That experience helped direct him to his true calling–far away from the vet–and towards another field.
The best worst thing! I just love the expression.
We decide to ask one another for our “best worst thing” stories.
“The military. The worst experience of my life and the best thing that ever happened to me,” my father-in-law says.
I offer my battle with postpartum depression as my best worst thing. I learned things I could only know through that darkness.
I also laugh about nearly failing a biology course in college and realizing the medical field would have to do without me. I think further back to particular heartbreaks that led me to a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus. They were the best worst things.
And just last week, I ask my sweet daughter why she was turning into such a confident young woman with so much joy and wisdom inside. She says, “Being bullied and made fun of in the second grade. That makes you so strong.”
It’s her best worst thing so far.
I love that our worst things become our best things. I think that’s the whole point of living with flair, don’t you?
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I would love to hear your best worst thing. Do you have one?
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My best worst thing has been surviving a near death experience that has left me with a chronic lung condition. It has given me the life and breath to share my story of hope with people struggling to make it through their darkest hour.
Your daughter's comment brings me almost to tears. What a wise girl to be able to see from such an “aerial view” of her life already!
Oh yes! I now have enough distance to see it as such — recent restructuring in my company where I have basically been demoted. Now that the pain and shock of it is (mostly) gone, I can see how it's pushed me into new arenas (like blogging) I wouldn't have explored other wise.
Ooooh! I love this Amy. The disappointment that pushed you into new areas! Yes!
I know!
Wow, Dallas. I would love to hear more of your story! Is it printed somewhere?
Well said, Heather. I've been doing a lot of writing about a period in my teenage years, and stories like these keep popping up. I think the optimist in me sees them. Otherwise, they're just hardships.
Hello, Sam! Are you sharing this memoir of your teenage years? I would love to read it! Yes, without optimism, they are just hardships indeed!
I'm thinking about sharing it via audio, maybe in weekly installments, maybe starting in the fall. We'll see. For now, I'm really enjoying the writing and editing process. Thanks for your interest, Heather!