You are flying ahead. Sprinting down the road. Traveling with a purpose. Doing what you have always wanted to do. Then it stops you. A difficult memory, a reminder, a person you thought was tucked away in the past. It knocks you over, takes you down and leaves you struggling to gain your vision back to before. It happens fast.
Just as you are getting enough momentum and eyeing the finish line, it happens. We have all been in situations before where a painful part of our past seeps into our lives just as we feel we have a solid grasp on our future. Out of nowhere the emotion, remembrances and memory is bright and bold like it is happening all over again. Past experiences have shaped who we are today, some good and some unbearable. Those unbearable experiences full of hurt, betrayal and loss leave us baffled. So we try our best to move on. The problem is the experience will always be a part of us. It may not be significant enough to impede our daily lives, but it is important enough to leave a mark. And when we think we have learned and can start to breath again, we get tested. Tested to see whether we really are strong enough to move on or if we are still stuck in the past. “Keep climbing that mountain.” “Push your way to the top.” “Never give up.” We have all heard these sayings in difficult times. The sayings that may be trivial and redundant, but they help remind us of our strengths and the stamina we have built to keep us going. It is in times like this that you find your strengths. Find the fuel to get past all adversity. And we would never know our strengths if our weaknesses were never scrutinized. Your purpose is not lost. Your vision comes back. You dust yourself off. The strength has been built to get through it before. “Keep climbing that mountain.”
Casey Rowley is a preschool teacher and freelance writer. For any questions or comments please contact caseymrowley@yahoo.com.