My Life Has Been Like a Country Song: Could I just play it backwards?

The year 2017 ended on a great note for me. Throughout that year, I got myself a new car (paid cash for it), a fiancé, and had my wonderful dog Max for over eight years. He was now ten and my fiancé had a dog, whom I now considered my second fur baby.

Well, as the year 2018 progressed, my life was starting to turn into a sad country song. In March, Max passed away due to old age and declining health. Ironically, his health began to decline a few days after my fiancé and I became engaged. It seemed like Max was saying to me, “Momma, now that there’s a man in your life, you probably don’t need me anymore.” Of course, I needed my Max whether there was a man in my life or not. On the last day of his life (St. Patrick’s Day), he held on until my fiancé came so I knew that Max wanted to make sure he was there for goodbyes and to know that Momma had her man by her side.

Several months after Max passed away, my fiancé and I split up. We are on good terms, but it’s hard sometimes. Around the time of our pending breakup, I was rear-ended again (that makes twice in the last year and a half). So the best way to describe my life this year is like living out a sad country song. I lost my dog and broke up with my fiancé, but I still have my car which is in the repair shop right now.

How do I go from living a sad country song to getting my life back? I’ve heard the old joke: just play it backwards. Well, Max did not come back, but I have a new dog, Millie Sue. My ex-fiance and I are just friends, but no love life for me at this time. I will have my car back and hopefully, it will be as good as new.

Well, just like life, country songs are not always depressing. “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful” is my favorite country song because that’s my current theme these days.

The struggles make you stronger

The changes make you wise

Happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time…

Life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride

Yep, I can easily relate to these lyrics which describe what I’ve been going through this year. Struggles suck and changes are scary, but without them I could not be any stronger or wiser. So maybe I don’t need to play a country song backwards. I may get everything, but will I grow wiser and stronger? I know I could never get Max back because he’s in Doggy Heaven and I don’t want the same man back, but I want my car back and cannot wait till the repairs are complete.