One of the most important lessons of rising above trauma is to not sweat the little stuff or the big stuff. This skill has given me the ability to keep my eye on the prize: bring my son home and take back our rights to live free from interference.

The choices of others to persist trauma can consume every second of your day if you let them. Just know that you are not responsible for all the “stuff” hurled at you by those who choose suffering.

Whether big or small, don’t sweat it. Your life experience is yours. You get to choose how to live it.