Good morning, friends! I hope this message finds you well and happy.

As most of you know, the past year has been one of the most challenging years of my life. But it has also given me some absolutely incredible gifts.

I think that when we find ourselves in circumstances that we never planned for, never saw coming, and that we would never willingly choose, we must look for the gifts.

In some mental health circles, they call the opposite of a "trigger" a "glimmer." A glimmer describes those moments of joy, contentment, and beauty you can grab onto even in the worst of times. They can be hard to recognize when we are suffering in one way or the other, but it's a vital part of getting through that rough spot.

For me, it started out last April when a family of cardinals built a nest outside my bedroom window. I was in pain, medicated, and stressed out over not working, but every day, I'd catch a flash of red outside the window and I'd watch this busy pair industriously working on a nest. I watched as the mama sat on her eggs and the daddy brought back food for her. I watched when the babies hatched and were nurtured by Mama and Daddy Cardinal. I witnessed some epic bird wars when Daddy chased off other birds who were getting too close to the nest. I saw Mama and Daddy Cardinal alone together after the babies left their nest, sitting on the same branch and leaning against one another.

Watching the cardinals became the highlight of my day. This may sound silly to those who are living full and busy lives, but to me, it was a lifeline of sorts. It gave me something to look forward to and brief moments of happiness. I never closely witnessed this cycle before, and it was very beautiful.

This led me to recognize other little glimmers of happiness. I really deeply felt the love my girls had for me. I accepted with deep gratitude the messages from friends. I really took it all on board for the first time in my life. If we don't recognize how loved we are, we are missing out on something truly magnificent, and I really hadn't recognized it fully until this year.

I had to fill the time with something productive, so I finished writing my first fiction book and have started on the second one. That was one of my favorite accomplishments, and I've wanted to do it since I was about seven years old.

I have learned ways to care for myself despite my lack of mobility, and each accomplishment brings me a little bit closer to independence again.

I realized how very fortunate I am that my daughters want to talk to me and get my advice about every little thing. I used to take that for granted and sometimes be a little bugged by the interruption. Now, I'd put aside anything at any time to give them my undivided attention. I love the fact that they talk to me about dating, money, jobs, and creative endeavors and I don't think I ever realized what a gift it was before.

Sometimes, the things that slow you down give you a chance to recognize how truly, deeply blessed you are. So, as crazy as it sounds, I'm grateful for this past year and for whatever comes next. And these lessons that I've taken on board? I am determined never to forget them. I know that people feel bad for my experience, but truly, it's been a gift. I unlocked a much happier life with time to truly recognize and accept love, beauty, joy, nature, and little glimmers of happiness in everything.

Clearly, I don't recommend becoming disabled for a year or longer to do this. But, if you try right now to feel love when it's freely given to you, to look for the beauty, to give your full attention to the people who love you, and to look for the glimmers, I promise you too will feel happier even if nothing else in your life changes.

Today is the last day to grab your copy of volume 2 of The Conspiracy Files: More Events the Media Would Like You to Forget. It’s only been two years since the limited release of the first volume of The Conspiracy files, but here we are with a second volume almost as long. This says a lot about the way the rhetoric and propaganda are ramping up.

The funny thing is that the first volume spanned ten years and it was only 100 pages longer. (I made it available for the weekend, also – go here.)

I can only keep this book on the website for a few days, or I risk losing my ability to take payments. So you have until midnight to grab your copy.

I want everyone to have access to this document before our recent history is rewritten yet again, so prices for volume two start as low as $2.

LINK: https://selfrelianceandsurvival.com/product/conspiracy-files-volume-2/