Born and raised in sunny Brisbane, Australia to lower middle class christian parents, my life was seemingly normal. I didn’t realize that other parents didn’t fight like cats and dogs, didn’t drink too much, didn’t wake their kids up in the middle of the night screaming and being physically abusive. We weren’t even told not to talk about it, we just knew… don’t ever talk about it.
If only I had known what I know now….
I was determined to never be like them, right? We all thought somehow we could escape unscathed, break the cycle – not even realizing there’s a cycle to begin with. We had no tools, no way of navigating, no way of knowing what we didn’t know, praying to God that we could somehow make it different once we grew up. And then we grew up and did the same damn thing. Just different, but in the end the same. Because we were never taught another way.
Flash forward and I’m sitting here, 40 years later, so much wiser but almost wishing I was ignorant of all the challenges I’ve been through. But if I hadn’t made this arduous journey, would I be me? The warrior women I’m so proud to be, victorious at having conquered so much, motivator to others, fierce protector of my children, fierce and fiery, joyous and thriving?
I think not. The things that I’ve achieved, by sheer grit, have made me who I am. An entrepreneur, a business woman, a lover, a fighter, a protector of those who cannot protect themselves, a crazy, hot mess of a women who makes no apologies and who invites all who dare into her world of wonder, to embrace all that can be; because that is where real joy is found; in this crazy dance called life.
Good info. Lucky me I came across your blog by chance (stumbleupon).
I have saved as a favorite for later!