Occasionally, life can be undeniably, impossibly difficult. We are faced with challenges and events that can seem overwhelming, life-destroying to the point where it may be hard to decide whether to keep going. But you always have a choice. Jessica Heslop shares her powerful, inspiring journey from the worst times in her life to the new life she has created for herself:
In 2012 I had the worst year of my life.
I worked in a finance job that I hated and I lived in a concrete jungle city with little greenery. I occupied my time with meaningless relationships and spent copious quantities of money on superficialities. I was searching for happiness and had no idea where to find it.
Then I fell ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and became virtually bed bound. I had to quit my job and subsequently was left with no income. I lived with my boyfriend of then only 3 months who financially supported me and our relationship was put under great pressure. I eventually regained my physical health, but not long after that I got a call from my family at home to say that my father’s cancer had fiercely progressed and that he had been admitted to a hospice.
I left the city and I went home to be with him.
He died 6 months later.
My father was a complete inspiration to me. He was always so strong that, for a minute after he drew his last breath, I honestly thought he would come back to life. I couldn’t believe I would never again cuddle into his big warm chest and feel safe no matter what.
The grief that followed was intense for all of us 5 children and our mother, but we had each other.
But my oldest sister at that time complained of a bad back. It got so bad after 2 months that she too was admitted to hospital.
They discovered that she had highly advanced cancer in her bones and that there was nothing that they could do.
She died 1 month later.
I could never put into words the loss of my sister in my life.
She was a walking, talking angel and my favourite person in the whole world. If someone could have asked me the worst thing that could ever happen, it would have been losing her.
She was my soul-mate and I never thought I would journey this lifetime without her.
The Moment Of Deliberate Choice
The shock and extreme heart break brought me to my knees. The pain was so great and my world just looked desolate. I had no real home, no money, no job, and no friends that cared. Not one person had even sent me a sympathy card for my loss.
I made an attempt of my own life and I ended up in hospital.
I remember lying in the hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling and seeing my sister’s beautiful face. She stayed with me all night long.
I realised during that night that I had a choice. I could choose to end my life or I could choose to live it.
I looked in my sister’s eyes and I made a decision not to go with her just yet. That I would stay and complete my journey here.
I also made the decision that, I wouldn’t just live any life. I would live the life that I absolutely LOVE and nothing less.
In that moment, the clarity that descended around me was like a light shining in a dark room for the first time. As if the earth’s plates had shifted under my feet and everything suddenly looked real for the first time.
The Blossoms Of My Newly Chosen Life
Since then I have begun to shape the most beautiful life for myself.
I now live in an adorable stone cottage in a stunningly green, luscious region of the UK amongst woodlands and lakes.
I have a deeply harmonious, joyful relationship with my amazing boyfriend, who’s gone through all this with me and we are very happy together.
I write a blog that inspires others to live the life that they love. It is what I know I was born to do and it truly makes my heart sing.
I am making new friends with beautiful souls all around the world.
I practise gratitude for my life every single day and I feel the abundance in everything I have now.
I spend quality time with the rest of my precious family and cherish every moment I have with them.
I have written a bucket list and am already manifesting so much of which I have always dreamed.
I connect with my heart often to ensure that I am always following my joy.
I love myself more deeply every day.
I live authentically now.
Waking Up
It took something powerfully transformative in my life to make me wake up. Wake up to some fundamental truths of life.This life is a gift if you want to accept it. No matter what the obstacle, you can make your life abundant with joy and you can live authentically.
Not a day goes by when I don’t miss my father’s huge character or my beloved sister’s gentle brown eyes, but I know that I will be with them one day for an eternity. What I have now is so precious and so fleeting that I must grasp the joy in every moment I can, and treat it as the gift that it is.
You choose life every day. But do you choose the life that you love every day?（英语散文 www.lyy5.com）
翻译：
生活有时候困难得难以置信，但又不容置疑。我们面临的挑战与困境似乎无法抵御，试图毁灭我们生活，甚至使你犹疑是否继续走下去。但是你总有选择的余地。从人生低谷走向新生活的杰西卡·赫斯乐普，在这里与我们分享她启迪心灵、充满震撼力的生活之旅。
2012年是我生活中最艰难的一年。
我做着讨厌的财务工作，住在难寻绿色的高楼林立的城市。我忙于无意义的交往，在一些肤浅表面的东西上大笔开销。我寻找快乐，却又不知道它在哪里。
美文欣赏:你可以选择自己想过的生活
然后我患上了慢性疲劳综合症，几乎到了卧床不起的地步。我不得不辞掉工作，同时也就断了财源。我和那时仅相处了3个月的男友住在一起，经济上完全依赖于他，我们的关系承受着巨大压力。终于我恢复健康，但不久，我接到家里的电话，父亲的癌症急剧恶化，已经住进了临终关怀中心。
我离开了城市，回家陪父亲。
6个月之后，他去世了。
父亲的事让我彻底清醒。他一直很强壮，在他咽气之后一分钟里，我真的认为，他会活过来。我不能相信，我再也不能依偎在他温暖的怀抱里，享受他宽大的胸怀带给我的安全感。
母亲和我们5个兄弟姐妹极为难过，但至少我们还拥有彼此。
但是，那时我大姐开始抱怨着背痛，2个月后，因疼痛加剧也住进了医院。
医生们检查发现，她已是骨癌晚期，对此他们已无能为力。
1个月之后，她也走了。
大姐的逝去让我陷入难以形容的痛苦之中。
在这个世界上，她是一个能走路、会说话的天使，我最喜欢的人。如果有人问我，世界上发生的最坏的事情是什么，那就是失去她。
她是我的灵魂伴侣，我从来没有想过，我会走过没有她陪伴的生命旅程。
抉择时刻
我被打击和极度的心痛击挎了。强烈的痛苦使世界在我眼中变得如此凄凉。我没有真正意义上的家，没有钱，没有工作，也没有关心我的朋友。没有一个人因我失去亲人而寄给我慰问卡。
我尝试着活下去，结果住进了医院。
我记得，躺在病床上，看着天花板，看到姐姐美丽的面庞。她整夜守候着我。
那天晚上，我意识到我可以选择。要么结束生命，要么活下去。
望着姐姐的眼睛，我决定不跟她走。我要留下来，走完我的生命旅程。
同时，我还决定，不只为生活而生活，我要完全以自己想要的方式生活。
在那一刻，这一想法第一次清晰得如同一盏在黑暗闪烁的明灯。好像脚下的地球版块变换了，每一样东西在我眼前都真实得前所未有。
我的生活之花重新绽放了
从那时起，我开始为自己塑造最美丽的生活。
现在，我住在英国一栋迷人的小石屋里，绿树掩映，与湖为伴，景色美丽宜人。
我的男友很好，我们的关系和谐美好，他曾伴我度过那段艰难时期，现在我们一起分享着快乐。
我和世界上有着美好心灵的人交朋友。
我写博客，激励他人过他们喜欢的生活。我知道这是我生来要做的事情，它真正使我感受到发自内心的快乐。
每一天，我满怀对生活的感激之情，我满足于我现在拥有的一切。
我与心爱的家人共度快乐时光，珍惜与他们相处的每一刻。
我列出愿望清单，它很大程度上体现了我一直以来梦想。
我时常与心交流，确保做着喜欢的事。
我一天比一天更爱自己。
现在我真正地活着。
清醒
生活中一些重大变化使我清醒，使我意识到生活的基本真理。如果你愿意接受生活，它就是礼物。无论遭遇任何困难，你总能让生活充满快乐，真正地生活。
没有哪一天，我不思念父亲温暖的怀抱或至爱的姐姐温柔的棕色眼睛，但是，我知道，终有一天我会与他们相聚。我现在拥有的是如此珍贵、如此易逝，我必须尽情享受每一刻的欢愉，将其视为上帝的馈赠。
每一天，你选择生活。但是，你是否每一天都过着想要的生活？
