Despite not quite being as physically active as I would have liked by this stage of the year, there was not a single thing that was going to stop that smile from spreading across my whole entire face, all day today.

Today was baseball sign on; the very day that I have been waiting for, for three very, very long years. The day that although in theory, is just a day to sign a piece of paper and pay a rather large sum of money, symbolically, it meant so much more than that.

Today I told the world that I was finally coming back.

Back to the people who could always, always make me smile.

Back to the family that I have missed more than anything.

Back to the game that I love most in this world and back to the single biggest thing that has kept me fighting throughout all of this.

Today I told the world that I was finally coming home and for the first time in a really, really long time, I knew that it wasn’t just empty words.

Somewhere close to four years ago now, a handsome boy that I had not long met, offered to surprise me with my very own custom made baseball glove all the way from Sarasota, Florida. A promise that between you and me, I had never quite forgotten. Unfortunately however, as luck would have it, circumstances changed and life somehow managed to get in the way. Leaving behind not only the remains of an empty promise, but a girl with a broken heart.

Sure enough though, time flew by in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, life circumstances had managed to of course, change yet again. Eventually, that long lost promise became a wonderful birthday surprise and that handsome boy that I first mentioned had not only managed to mend the accidental broken heart, but steal it too.

It may have taken four very long years but eventually, that handsome boy came through with his promise and my very own beautiful baseball glove was finally on it’s way to my front door. By this stage, I was sure that the hardest part was over.

I could not have been more wrong.

Whilst my brand new baseball glove may have very well been on it’s way to my front door, what I didn’t know was just how long it would take to actually arrive there.

Fast forward five months, ten thousand emails and $300.00 in FedEx collection charges later and although my troublesome glove has finally arrived home, it did not arrive without it’s fair share of life lessons.

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1. When ordering something that can only be shipped to an American address, it generally works best if there is actually someone you know waiting at that address to collect it for you.

2. Never assume that the person on the other end of the phone knows what you are talking about. Chances are, more often than not, they don’t have a clue.

3.  In actual fact, a parcel can indeed disappear into thin air – twice.

4. Just because a company is extremely large and well established, does not in any way mean that they will take responsibility for their mistakes.

5. If there is no record of any parcel under your name, check another name.

6. Be persistent, even when the odds may not necessarily be in your favour.

7. If all else fails, start practicing your angry voice. An angry Mumma Bear will always, always get her way.

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Luckily though, for quite possibly everyone involved, when he did arrive, he was so breathtakingly beautiful that from the very first moment I laid eyes on him all of that frustration just melted away. Everything from that sweet smell of leather right down to the pretty purple lace had me completely smitten.

I suppose you could say that just like the handsome boy I was telling you about, it was love at first sight.

Some of the very best days in life are the days when people surprise you. The days when out of nowhere, someone comes along and unknowingly makes you believe in the impossible.

Today was one of those days.

Whilst not all of us may be willing to admit it, I’m sure we can all quietly agree that at one point or another, certain life circumstances have left us feeing somewhat alone in the world. Not alone in the literal sense though, but in the sense that despite our best efforts, there are times when the world still just doesn’t seem to understand.

Sometimes if we’re lucky, that void can be filled by those around us. Other times though, we find ourselves completely out of luck and not even those closest to us can grasp the full extent of what it is that we’re going through. Fortunately though, it is then, in our weakest moments that we give life permission to surprise us and while it doesn’t always turn out that way, every once in a while it does.

Every once in a while, when the people we call on to hold us up let us down, someone unexpected comes along and breaks our fall.

Every once in a while, just when we feel as though we’re carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, someone unexpected comes along and gives us a chance to catch our breath.

Every once in a while, just when we’re sure that all hope is lost, someone unexpected comes along and restores our faith in the world.

Every once in a while, just when we’re beginning to think that our Guardian Angels have all but disappeared, life reminds us that in actual fact, there are still plenty left in plain sight. It just so happens that sometimes, they don’t always look the way that we may have expected them to.

Every once in a while, just when the tiniest hint of doubt begins to slowly creep in, people surprise us, in the best way possible.

The bottom line is, life is unpredictable.

We may hope, we may pray, we may plan down to every last little detail and we may daydream for hours on end about how a particular situation is going to play out, but the truth is, at the end of the day, every aspect of every outcome is not something that we can control; not one hundred percent of the time anyway.

Sure, sometimes we get lucky and the outcome truly is picture perfect, exactly the way that we imagined it would be, but then there are the other times. The times when the picture that we had painted for ourselves could not have been further from reality. The times when nothing at all seems to go to plan and all of a sudden, instead of being two steps forward like we first imagined, we find ourselves taking ten steps back.

Sometimes the distance we may have lost in those ten steps is easy for us to regain, so much so, that it was like we never went backwards to begin with. Other times though, those ten steps bring our total up past the hundred mark and as much as we may fight to stay standing, the load suddenly becomes too much for us to bear.

Sometimes there is a perfectly feasible explanation, a logical reason as to why things turned out the way that they did. Other times though, there is no reason at all.

Sometimes the situation may not have mattered all that much and despite the unexpected outcome, we are able to walk away without regret. Other times though, it may have meant the world to us and as much as we may wish otherwise, there won’t be a single thing that anyone can say or do to ease the disappointment and the heartache.

Sometimes the pieces seem to magically put themselves back together, almost in the blink of an eye. Yet other times, the pieces become so jumbled that we can’t quite remember what puzzle we were trying to piece together to begin with.

Sometimes our desire to continue is so strong that almost instantly, we are back standing again. Other times though, we are so shattered that only time can heal our wounds.

Sometimes our head is able to take the lead and do its best to make sense of a crazy situation and other times, our heart takes control; leaving us with an overwhelming wave of emotions that more often than not, we weren’t quite prepared for.

At the end of the day though, which ever way we find ourselves handling those unpredictable aspects of life, one thing is certain; while the reason for the unexpected outcome may never truly make sense, all we can do is try to cope the best that we can with the tools that we have.

All we can do is wake up again tomorrow with just enough courage and just enough faith to stand tall and be willing to try again, whatever the odds.

I love the way that somehow, almost instinctively, life has this quietly confident way of knowing exactly what we need, exactly when we need it; quite often before we ever have any real idea ourselves.

The way that every time without fail, just when we think something doesn’t make sense in the world or just as we are beginning to feel as though we may have slightly veered off track, life steps in and reminds us that in actual fact, everything is just the way that it should be.

Whether it’s the people we are blessed to have in our lives, the career paths we have chosen to take or the opportunities that almost magically present themselves, I am beginning to realise that regardless of the circumstance, life truly is always just that one step ahead.

I am beginning to realise that although every path we may choose to take may not quite lead us down the road that we had previously hoped, it’s quite often that very same path that joins onto a road we would have never otherwise found.

I am beginning to realise that just as people come and go in our lives, so to do opportunities and while some may end sooner than we may have liked, each and every one ends for a reason. A reason that given enough time, we will eventually come to understand.

After just recently having one of God’s most precious angels that was ever placed on this earth, point me in a direction that I had never before considered, I am beginning to realise that while the world is fast becoming a place that relies solely on ‘who you know’ it’s also a matter of where it is that life is destined to take you.

I am beginning to realise that it’s quite often in the calmest of moments that we are thrown some of our greatest opportunities. The moments when we are so unsure which path we should take next, that we have no choice but to close our eyes and jump, hoping for the best. That’s when the true magic happens. That’s when life takes over and guides us towards something so wonderful that we can’t help but stop and thank the Angels, because aside from faith, there truly is no other explanation.

I am beginning to realise that while some opportunities may end just as quickly as they appear, their purpose remains the same – to prepare us for the next one; which more often than not is more magical than the last.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never quite grasped the concept of Christmas in July. That was, until approximately 2:38pm today; the moment that my very own Santa Claus delivered the Christmas gift of a lifetime.

After patiently waiting through what could have quite possibly been twelve of the longest months of my whole entire life, the day that I had been dreaming of for what felt like an eternity, was finally here. Our magical ‘Gravity HQ’ vibration machine or Harley Quinn as he is more widely known, was finally home; safe and sound.

No more waiting, no more praying and no more frantically counting down the days. It was finally time to start my recovery the way that I had planned to, all of those months ago and there was not a single thing in this world that was going to wipe that smile off my face.

There, in that very moment, I am certain that I would’ve been the happiest girl in the world. Not because of what was standing there in front of me though, but because right then, in that very moment, all of those dreams that had been slowly fading away, were suddenly floating back within reach again.

The baseball field.

The long afternoon jogs.

The crazy, carefree, run a muck days.

All of it, all at once and it had never felt better.

The best part though, was not the fact that I was finally feeling confident enough to dream those dreams again, but the fact that now, every day, they truly were one step closer to coming true.

Realisation #23948945834832098 on this wild and crazy ride:

Maybe everything in life doesn’t always have to turn out exactly the way we imagined it to, in order for us to find happiness. Maybe sometimes, the truest of happiness comes at the times that we would otherwise least expect it.

Three years on from the very moment that changed everything and I can honesty say that my life looks nothing at all like I imagined it would.

With an empty bank account, a career path that is still somewhat ‘up in the air’ and a body that is still striving to reach full health, it would be easy to say that at just twenty-two, I am far from where I would like to be. The truth is though, I’m not. The truth is, at this very moment, I am exactly where I am meant to be and I have never been happier.

Despite my lack of finances, my undefined career plans and my current state of health, I am finally realising that none of that is what truly matters. None of that is what defines happiness.

Happiness isn’t what fills our bank accounts each week or the job title which we egotistically choose to let define us. Happiness is the smile that grows from inside us, from the very first moment that we open our eyes each morning. Happiness is what makes the world seem beautiful, even on the most gloomiest of days.

Happiness comes from deep within ourselves, not from money or job titles or material possessions and while each of those things may indeed help somewhat momentarily, it is not with those things that true happiness begins, nor is it where true happiness will grow.

I suppose what I am trying to say, is that while on paper on I may not be exactly where I had previously hoped to be by now, surprisingly, I am far happier out here wandering through the depths of the great unknown than I ever was walking down those paths that I mistakenly thought I knew.

Out here, not only have I found an overwhelming sense of contentment, but I have stepped into what seems to be a whole new world. A world so big, so beautiful and so bright, that I am beginning to think perhaps that path wasn’t so unknown after all.

Approximately two and a half years ago, in the midst of my mysterious medical journey, my Mumma and I shared what she has often referred to as ‘one of the greatest days of her life’; a statement which believe it or not, I just happen to wholeheartedly agree with.

Sitting there in the waiting room of what was to be yet another almost impossible to pronounce specialist, patiently watching the clock tick by, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Doctors were running late, the receptionist was busily answering phone calls and the room filled with patients was, like always, as quiet as a mouse. Really, it was shaping up to be yet another typically uneventful day. Until of course, the very moment that changed everything.

Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what sparked us to turn and look out the window at the exact moment we did that day, but I do know that it is now something I thank my lucky stars for, almost every day.

There he was, just casually walking by, without a single care in the world. At least eighty years old, with a smile bigger than that of a child at Christmas. Shirt buttoned, shoes tightened, socks pulled up and just one little thing missing; his pants.

Now, while he didn’t seem to notice or even overly care for that matter, his lovely little old wife who had been frantically chasing behind him for quite some time, appeared to feel differently about the situation. Needless to say, the clinic was no longer as quiet as a mouse; seconds later, an uncontrollable laughter had filled the room. The only problem was, the laughter appeared to be entirely one sided.

Apparently, Mumma and I were the only ones lucky enough to have seen the spontaneous performance and while we were far too amused to think twice about those around us, the ‘not so lovely’ receptionist seemed to have that side of things covered for us.

There we were, two fully grown women, sent for a time out in the naughty corner. A naughty corner in which we of course continued to laugh uncontrollably about the sight we had just seen, because let’s be honest, it’s not every day that you see a man wandering around in sneakers and socks, without pants. At the very least, we would be laughing until our eyes watered, our bellies hurt and we were no longer able to breathe, regardless of which corner we may or may not have been placed in.