• 1001 Hudson Rd Ste A,
    Cedar Falls, IA 50613 US

(319) 277-5616

Giving Thanks for Life's Missed Exits

+ move well   + live well    + feel well

  • posted: Dec. 06, 2024

It's been a little longer than expected since my last blog. It was originally intended that I write about gratitude and thanks leading into this holiday season. I found myself unsure of where to start. Every time I would sit down to write, my mind would race in so many directions. I find it hard to put myself in someone else's shoes because my own experiences and things that have helped me, may not relate or have the same impact on another as they did for me. So, rather than actually write the blog, I spent the whole last month stressing about how I would present it. But, like all stressful situations there is good to be discovered. In obsessing over the idea of thanks, I was able to unknowingly check in on my own life. What I found is that in trying to focus on what I was thankful for, all the things I have been bothered by suddenly didn't seem like such big deal. So with that, I want to share some of the perspective I gained over the last month and I hope in doing so, you may be able to take something away from it too. 

The first overarching sense of gratitude I have is for a thing that everyone reading will be able to relate to: being alive. I thought a lot about how being able to wake up another day, take a breath of fresh air, enjoy the beauty of a sunrise is a real thing to rejoice in. The simple act of living is free, and at the same time priceless. If you suddenly learned that tomorrow wasn't coming, how much would you pay for just one more day?

The second theme I noticed in my reflection, is that the more I get down on myself about a situation, the more I lose sight of the good. Everyone feels like this at some point in their lives and it is impossible not to. Bad things happen and they rarely make sense at the time. I'm reminded of a saying my mom often shared with me: "Don't be mad about missed exits." Sometimes missing what you believe to be a good opportunity (like the right exit) can redirect you away from a bigger tragedy (a multiple car accident on your original route). I think back to so many times growing up and in young adulthood where I faced adversity or felt like my world was crashing down around me. Having reached the other side of those experiences, I'm able to recognize that those missteps were like a guide wire directing me to meeting my wife, becoming a chiropractor, and building a family. So with that, if you are facing your own hardships, a good exercise could be to look back at other times where things didn't go your way but you saw the ripple effect create far more good than you could've imagined. I am thankful for my life's missed exits. Not only did what I perceived as a bad thing lead me to good, it made me appreciate the good much more too!

Another ah-ha moment this month revolves around the idea of purpose. I have come to realize that I struggled getting motivated in November. I saw tasks and different chores at their face value, and how they impacting me in the here and now. In life there are things that will bring about feelings of fear, stress, anxiety, inadequacy, and the list can go on. Are they serving your bigger purpose? My purpose as a good husband, father, son, and chiropractor were all served in a lot of those tasks I had seen as an imposition. In When I found things that impacted me negatively that didn't serve me in a positive way, it was much easier to identify and they didn't hold as much of my mental state. 

All this to say, just the practice of increasing how mindful I was about my gratitude and thanks made me more grateful! I stopped putting as much time into thinking about what I didn't have or wanted and much more time focusing on what is truly important, all of the blessings around me all the time.



0214982001683558405.jpg

Dr. Conrad Bush is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. He has special interests in weight loss, biomechanics, extremities, and sports rehab. He is certified in Active Release Technique, which focuses on treating the soft tissue system of the body.

  • posted: Dec. 06, 2024

It's been a little longer than expected since my last blog. It was originally intended that I write about gratitude and thanks leading into this holiday season. I found myself unsure of where to start. Every time I would sit down to write, my mind would race in so many directions. I find it hard to put myself in someone else's shoes because my own experiences and things that have helped me, may not relate or have the same impact on another as they did for me. So, rather than actually write the blog, I spent the whole last month stressing about how I would present it. But, like all stressful situations there is good to be discovered. In obsessing over the idea of thanks, I was able to unknowingly check in on my own life. What I found is that in trying to focus on what I was thankful for, all the things I have been bothered by suddenly didn't seem like such big deal. So with that, I want to share some of the perspective I gained over the last month and I hope in doing so, you may be able to take something away from it too. 

The first overarching sense of gratitude I have is for a thing that everyone reading will be able to relate to: being alive. I thought a lot about how being able to wake up another day, take a breath of fresh air, enjoy the beauty of a sunrise is a real thing to rejoice in. The simple act of living is free, and at the same time priceless. If you suddenly learned that tomorrow wasn't coming, how much would you pay for just one more day?

The second theme I noticed in my reflection, is that the more I get down on myself about a situation, the more I lose sight of the good. Everyone feels like this at some point in their lives and it is impossible not to. Bad things happen and they rarely make sense at the time. I'm reminded of a saying my mom often shared with me: "Don't be mad about missed exits." Sometimes missing what you believe to be a good opportunity (like the right exit) can redirect you away from a bigger tragedy (a multiple car accident on your original route). I think back to so many times growing up and in young adulthood where I faced adversity or felt like my world was crashing down around me. Having reached the other side of those experiences, I'm able to recognize that those missteps were like a guide wire directing me to meeting my wife, becoming a chiropractor, and building a family. So with that, if you are facing your own hardships, a good exercise could be to look back at other times where things didn't go your way but you saw the ripple effect create far more good than you could've imagined. I am thankful for my life's missed exits. Not only did what I perceived as a bad thing lead me to good, it made me appreciate the good much more too!

Another ah-ha moment this month revolves around the idea of purpose. I have come to realize that I struggled getting motivated in November. I saw tasks and different chores at their face value, and how they impacting me in the here and now. In life there are things that will bring about feelings of fear, stress, anxiety, inadequacy, and the list can go on. Are they serving your bigger purpose? My purpose as a good husband, father, son, and chiropractor were all served in a lot of those tasks I had seen as an imposition. In When I found things that impacted me negatively that didn't serve me in a positive way, it was much easier to identify and they didn't hold as much of my mental state. 

All this to say, just the practice of increasing how mindful I was about my gratitude and thanks made me more grateful! I stopped putting as much time into thinking about what I didn't have or wanted and much more time focusing on what is truly important, all of the blessings around me all the time.



0214982001683558405.jpg

Dr. Conrad Bush is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. He has special interests in weight loss, biomechanics, extremities, and sports rehab. He is certified in Active Release Technique, which focuses on treating the soft tissue system of the body.

1001 Hudson Rd Ste A
Cedar Falls, IA, 50613

(319) 277-5616