realpeopletogether.com Blog

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce Patrick Lawlor Bergstrom, an amazing person I was blessed to connect with who will be contributing insight to the book project on the male perspective on eating disorders. I am absolutely excited to be working with him! Here’s a little about him, compliments of his Facebook page:

“Patrick Bergstrom is a 25-year-old former Division III college lacrosse player recovering from a four-year battle with an eating disorder. For the majority of that time, his problem was merely diagnosed as a drinking problem. His peers, society, and the media misinformed him. He was told, “men cannot suffer from an eating disorder.” Patrick is a testimony that men can suffer the horrible fate of an eating disorder, yet his passion to live, competitive nature and faith helped make his recovery possible.

Patrick is a business administration graduate from Wesley College in Delaware. His focus was in marketing and creative writing. He plans to use his writing to both inspire and educate others about the startling realities of Eating Disorders.

To the world Patrick is misunderstood, looked down upon and characterized as weak. To those that know him, he is seen as a friend, a son, a brother, a survivor, a dreamer, a fighter, a leader, and a believer. There are times he feels alone in the world, and there are moments where it seems that he will walk this earth with ED (eating disorder) forever imprinted on his forehead. He has accepted this fate, and greets each day with a smile on his face. He faces those who oppose his cause with a kind heart and embraces them with love. Patrick stands for love, life and freedom and fights for eating disorder education and advocacy. Those that have suffered or are suffering from ED are the most misunderstood classification of people in the world. Why can we accept and understand drug and alcohol problems in our society but not be able to comprehend an eating disorder? The simple answer is that they just are not talked about in public. We are ignorant of the causes, effects, and severity of this very life-threatening and rapidly growing illness. Society tends to be too quick to judge based on what is known rather than on trying to make sense of the unknown. Patrick’s passion and purpose is to change this perception and ultimately to decrease the number of men and women affected by eating disorders in our country.”

I personally can attest to the fact that Patrick is a really great guy and I know he’s going to do a lot of really great things with his life–check out his website for more information on him!

http://www.ichosetolive.com

Just wanted to give a quick thank you to my friend Melissa for shooting a few great new photos for me the other day–I finally have some new stuff for my website!

She did a great job and I’d definitely recommend working with her to anyone in the area…Check out her website–it’s http://www.miss-photo.net/

I was back in my hometown of Beulah, ND this past week, talking to the high school girls all about love and relationships–specifically, bad relationships!

It was an amazing experience. I didn’t know for sure what it would be like, getting up there in front of all those faces (some of them very familiar!) and really telling my whole story, every dirty little detail included. But it felt right. I know it was what I needed to do. I was able to share the kinds of things I just wish someone would have been able to tell me when I was getting ready to go to college a few years ago!

The girls were all incredibly receptive to my message–how reaffirming to me as I start to think about all of the other places I’m going to be able to go and speak, and all of the things I’m planning on writing and sharing over the next few years!

That’s what you need to be listening to in your life too–those positive statements that encourage you in whatever it is you’re trying to do, and those good feelings that tell you that what you’re doing is right. Those are what will continue to point you in the right direction, to do the kind of work you need to do, and to become the kind of person you always envisioned yourself becoming.

Listen to those feelings–they won’t ever lead you astray!

At certain points in our lives, we feel a little confused. We don’t know what to do with ourselves, or with our lives. We don’t know what we want. We’re not even sure how we feel!

And so for all those instances, I wanted to share a prayer that I just found out about from one of the sisters here at University of Mary last night:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

– Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude

Isn’t that great? Now print it off and take it with you, and remember to use it the next time you’re feeling a little uncertain!

So I was incredibly nervous the day before Prayer Day as I anticipated the workshop I would be leading. I mean seriously–why would a bunch of people (many of them much older than me) ever want to listen to me, some 25-year-old girl, talk about prayer?

But when I woke up yesterday, THE big day, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a good deal of excitement had replaced those nervous feelings. I knew that I would approach the workshop in the same way I’ve been approaching any of the speaking endeavors I’ve done over the past few months. I knew that the purpose of me being there was not for people to be watching me, or evaluating any little movements or mistakes or even whatever the heck it was I would be wearing (even though some of that could happen anyway).

As cliche as it might sound, I know that my job is just to be a messenger: a messenger of all of the things I’ve experienced (and mistakes I’ve made!) over the past few years of my life, a messenger of everything I’ve been learning as a result, a messenger of the hope that we can all have as long as we just learn to trust God, trust ourselves, and trust in the very plan that exists for our lives…

…we just can’t try to fight that plan!

Prayer Day went really well. The workshop went really well, and again, I attribute that to just trying to follow the plan that exists for me. The same goes for you: if you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you won’t ever have to worry about not doing it well. It will just happen. And it will feel really, really good.

Today, take a minute to talk to God, and don’t forget to listen, too: what’s in your plan for the day?