I keep hearing this statement at every turn. “The struggle is real!” And … “What was your biggest struggle this past year?” To me the word struggle implies something that is difficult to overcome. I decided for that reason I don’t like the word struggle at all. I prefer the word “challenge”. But I decided to refer to good ole Merriam Webster and looked up the word. Here you have it: Struggle: an intransitive verb – 1. to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition  and 2. to proceed with difficulty or with great effort. The Oxford Dictionary definition as a noun: a hard fight in which people try to obtain or achieve something, especially something that somebody else does not want them to have.

Well … there ya have it. I have no intention of getting into a physical fight with anyone. And although, I probably do, by definition, struggle with things, to me it implies there are things too great for me to overcome. Oh heck to the no on that one, my friends! Not in my comfortable world. Nothing is too much for me to handle. Life gives me lemons then I most certainly will make lemonade. I may complain and moan and kick and scream but I will overcome … usually with a little help from my friends and a lot of help from the man Upstairs.

My aforementioned word of choice is challenge. You see the word challenge to me is positive whereas the word struggle is negative.  Again I like the definition of challenge as an intransitive verb: to make or present a challenge (to invite or dare to take part in a contest, for example).

Let’s dispense with the semantics and get real here. A struggle in daily living would be me and the neighbor raced to the end of the street. There ensued a struggle after I tripped her so I could win! Or it was a struggle, with the limited mobility in my left knee, to trip my neighbor and win the race to the end of the street. Or my husband and I got into a struggle over who was getting the last glass of wine. I won! Dropped the glass while elbowing him to get back Jack during the tussle, but I won! Hmm ..

Do you see why I like the word challenge much better? It’s just not as provoking and physical brutality is not involved. I mean if there’s a competition then I want to win (struggle). If it’s a challenge, well, I don’t feel threatened. I see it as an opportunity. A struggle is something I didn’t ask for. But a challenge? Bring it on!

Now back to semantics … we can debate this all day long, but the bottom line is I choose to use language that is positive. When a boss asks an employee what they struggled with this past year, could they not have phrased that in positive manner and turn that question into “What were your greatest challenges this year?”

And so the next time I hear someone say they are on the struggle bus or the struggle is real I’m gonna tell them to look at problems and life as a challenge rather than a struggle. Don’t let the enemy encourage you to focus on the negative. Take control of your life and your thoughts! I realize The Challenged Bus isn’t nearly as cutesy and doesn’t have the same ring as The Struggle Bus but turn those thoughts around my friends. Talk to someone who fled for their lives in Syria and then talk to me about The Struggle is Real. I might just listen then. Those folks didn’t have a bus to take them away from their struggles.

And for the record … the enemy is working hard on me right now … a number of family issues being dealt with that are weighing incredibly heavy on my mind and heart, but trust me, I accept the challenge!

Bye for now! Gotta get busy making lemonade at the lemonade stand!