The #1 Thing Food Allergies Taught Me

Some people grow up with food allergies. Others develop them later in life.

No one choses them.

I developed food allergies as a teenager, having eaten without restrictions all my life. To say I was annoyed is an understatement on par with things like “college is expensive” and “I like Star Wars”. And at first, I let it get to me. I allowed self pity to overwhelm me as I grieved my past life.

But I didn’t stay there.

Being miserable is no fun (really bringing it with the understatements today), so I started to change my attitude. I began to focus on what I could eat rather than what I couldn’t. I learned about allergy friendly baking and was able to bless others with treats they couldn’t have eaten before. And that’s when I realized:

It’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s what you do about it.

We can’t control things like disease, accidents, and other disasters, but we can control what we do next. It’s ok, necessary, even, to grieve. But we can’t stay there forever. We must take back control and play the cards we are dealt. It’s tough, but I believe in you. You can do this!