Bridgit Muratore
Bio
I write from my heart the stories of my life and how I have learned to break free from the chains that kept me small. I will share my darkest moments and greatest joys as I've learned to navigate a life that I love living.
Stories (11)
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Growing Up In A Small Town
When I was a kid, my favorite love story was the one my grandmother told me about her and my grandfather. They met as teenagers when my grandfather befriended her older brother. He soon began spending all his available time at their house even when her brother wasn’t available. Their friendship blossomed into courtship and the summer my grandmother graduated from high school, they drove nearly 200 miles to elope. They bought their first parcel of land on the outskirts of town and moved a one-bedroom house onto the parcel. Throughout the years, they added more land, expanded their house, acquired livestock and pets, and raised their children. They were married for nearly 70 years, completely devoted to one another and the family they created together.
By Bridgit Muratoreabout a year ago in Motivation
Listening to God Within Me
Every two weeks my first husband and I boarded a plane to a clinical trial in Los Angeles. He had undergone the maximum radiation for brain cancer and chemo wasn’t working. The brain tumor had grown back and it was growing exactly where the neurosurgeon said it would. That particular trip my parents, cousin, aunt, and uncle were meeting us in California and driving us back to Las Vegas. Many things were different about that appointment. It was the first appointment that wasn’t just the two of us, we met with the doctor again instead of only his nurse practitioner, and he ordered another brain scan; something we hadn’t done since the initial appointment. The doctor invited our support team to join us in the imaging room. We crammed inside and as I stood staring at the screen of my husband’s brain tears silently streamed down my cheeks. The brave face I put on in front of my husband was crumbling as I looked at the scan and saw the trial was having no effect on the tumor. Shortly afterwards our nurse practitioner asked me to join her in a small room where we discussed quality of life remaining and decided this would be our last trip to the trial. Three squeezes of my hand was my husband’s way of saying “I Love You” without speaking. Three squeezes as we walked hand in hand out of the clinical trial for the last time.
By Bridgit Muratoreabout a year ago in Motivation
An Approach to Change
My first car was a red two-door hatchback, named Rosie, who sped around the country roads as my faithful companion. One spring afternoon we were racing home when I slowed to turn a corner and felt a slight limp at her side. I gently pulled off the road and grimaced as I found one of her tires had gone flat. I was two miles from my house and didn’t know what to do, so I called my dad. Moments later, he pulled behind me and getting out of his truck, I felt relief flood over me. My dad was my rock; always available to fix the things I found broken, sturdy to rest beside, and strong enough to conquer the obstacles of life. He looked at me, looked at the flat tire, then back at me, and asked; “What’s the first thing you think you should do.” I stood in front of him confused and speechless. I had done the first thing I thought I should do – I called him! Our eyes locked as seconds ticked by and I realized he was not going to fix the tire for me. Instead, he talked me through each step as I changed the tire on my own.
By Bridgit Muratoreabout a year ago in Motivation
A Fairytale of Destiny
I had gone to Las Vegas to celebrate my cousin’s birthday. We spent the day lounging poolside, sipping cocktails and soaking in the sun. After dinner, we found ourselves in the middle of a casino amidst the table games. Between laughter, betting, and drinking I looked up and across the pit locked eyes with a man playing blackjack. Fueled by flirty courage I winked and turned back to my table. I didn’t see him again until the end of the evening when he walked straight up to me. Fireworks sparked as he introduced himself and deep within me, I was forever changed.
By Bridgit Muratoreabout a year ago in Motivation
Through the Heartache
My heart raced as his words came through the phone. I hung up, grabbed my purse, and shut off my computer. It was the middle of the day but I had to leave. My boss was standing next to me as I frantically cleared my desk with shaking hands. He took the cup from me and told me to go. Prayers flooded my mind as I drove to the hospital, asking God to remain with me. My husband and I were still sporting tans from our honeymoon, we had been married roughly three weeks. He was calling to tell me the dizziness and headaches he had been experiencing were the result of a brain tumor.
By Bridgit Muratore2 years ago in Motivation
Sometimes My Mind Gets in the Way
The buzz in the living room, kitchen, and dining room flowed throughout the rest of the house as conversations filled every corner. My hand reached to meet another sibling as he, his wife, and kids climbed the stairs from the open doorway. Laughter and running feet echoed from outside. As I stood talking with one of the sisters, I felt a tug on my pant leg and looking down saw a toddler holding himself steady. I knew the moment he looked up; he’d realize I’m not the leg he intended, but from his perspective we all looked alike. Moments later I watched a four-year-old climb to a standing position on a swivel barstool moving to one foot on the counter, one foot on the barstool, a bottle of wine in her left hand as she reached for the cupcakes. My mind visualized the catastrophe that was possible. It was my first time meeting my husband’s family and the organized chaos that flowed brought fulfillment to my heart.
By Bridgit Muratore2 years ago in Motivation
Curiosity of Anything is Possible
I grew up with brothers playing in the dirt, racing bicycles, and throwing footballs. Hot wheels were our favorite toys in which we built roads with cliff edges, jumps, and pit stops. My Hot Wheels could race around the track from a sofa cliff to the downtown Lego village in a millisecond. Time stood still as the cars and trucks floated through the air at high speeds. When I got my first driver’s license, I quickly learned that vehicles didn’t have the same properties as my Hot Wheels. One winter morning I was behind the wheel of my grandmother’s Oldsmobile, skimming over a small layer of snow with the radio blaring. Suddenly the front tires turned toward the barbwire fence at the right of the road. The car took out two wooden posts before coming to a halt and I turned to my brother to ensure he lived through it. We were a half-mile from the nearest neighbor and three miles from our house. My dad came to our rescue pulling us out of the field and fixing the broken fence. Thankfully, the Oldsmobile suffered only minor dings. There was a rush of adrenaline and although my parents warned me about driving too fast, I couldn’t stop. I was in a constant hurry behind the wheel and in life. I was in a hurry to grow up, to get out of the small town, and to be out of my parents’ house. I pushed every vehicle to the limit and suffered a few additional off-road collisions.
By Bridgit Muratore2 years ago in Motivation
My Life of Ease
It was a hot summer day, I was in the middle of preparing dinner, when my husband walked into the kitchen and I burst into tears. The dam I had built up with frustration from living a façade released and I could no longer continue the path I was traveling. We were in the middle of an adoption program, we had spent thousands on medical procedures, acupuncture, acupressure, nutritionists, herbalists, and blood draws in our attempts to conceive. We quit our careers to start our own business, we were running through our savings, and I was in an internal battle of doubt and fear. My husband held me while I cried but even his loving embrace wasn’t enough to ease the turmoil inside.
By Bridgit Muratore2 years ago in Motivation
Judgement is Allowed
In my early twenties I moved to Las Vegas. I wanted to work in convention and hotel sales and was young, eager and talented. There were thousands of options in Vegas so I knew finding a job wouldn’t be difficult. I applied at several properties but had already fallen in love with an upscale boutique hotel. My first experience with the hotel had been several months prior when the man I was dating took me for drinks and dinner. We pulled into the hotel valet and were immediately surrounded by men in suits, polished shoes and whistles. One opened my door greeting me gently while another opened my partner’s welcoming us to their property. I was whisked from the vehicle to large solid wooden doors that stood nearly 12 feet tall. A doorman nodded with a polite “Good evening” while opening the giant doors and my gaze fell into a lobby of exquisite luxury. The archways, molding, tile, furniture and view were magnificently dripping with beautiful floral arrangements. It was a space of absolute beauty; not an item out of place. I felt like a queen and made my way through the space soaking in its opulence. When it came time to move and begin my job search I longed to work amongst the beauty I had experienced that evening.
By Bridgit Muratore2 years ago in Motivation
When I Lose Control
I sat on the edge of my bed pouring words into a tattered journal. Words I couldn’t bear to speak out-loud, as they were overflowing from my heart. Words I wanted God to hear as I pleaded with Him and prayed for the man I had held while he said goodbye. How could You take him, God? Blue ink ran as the scribbled words were struck with teardrops. A trail of snot slowly escaped a nostril towards an upper lip as it quivered, but I was writing too frantically to be bothered with wiping it away. As my heart stopped screaming, the words slowed down, and I succumbed to the tears. Crying into the open journal, I lost myself in grief. Slowly the sobbing was done and I closed the journal. Looking down for the first time, I noticed the Poem on the cover just beneath my hand. It was the Footprints poem that talked about a man walking with God at the end of his life. He noticed each time he was facing difficulty God appeared to leave his side and yet God retorted "During your times of trial and suffering, it was then that I carried you."
By Bridgit Muratore2 years ago in Motivation
Stuck Along the Cliffs
One of my favorite places to run when I lived in San Diego took me from my apartment along cliffs facing the ocean, which led to an uphill, windy climb, where cars couldn’t go more than 15-20mph. There was a point in my run that my legs took on a life of their own. With each stride the day washed away from me, the sun warmed my face, my arms, my legs; the sound of the ocean matched every breath I took and I felt like I could run forever. This climb was the toughest portion of my route, however I knew if I could make it to the top of the hill the remainder would be easier. At the top the path would turn away from the cliffs into a neighborhood and slowly descend toward the bay. The bay was always quiet, serene and rarely had many people around it. This quietness allowed me to float through this portion of the run with the wings of a bird and not a single obstacle to be seen. The end of the pier was my stopping point and I would gaze into the abyss of the horizon across the ocean, taking it all in as I stretched. Waves lapped into the wood of the pillars holding the pier in place and I’d think of all the things alive and maneuvering within that huge body of water. I could stare into the vastness for hours feeling God’s amazing expansiveness. When I came back to myself, I would turn and walk the short distance to my apartment and the next day do it all over again.
By Bridgit Muratore2 years ago in Motivation
