Lightening Does Strike Twice

Perhaps lightening does strike twice.

If I asked the world to tell the truth about me, I am afraid that what the world
perceives as the negative in me would overpower all the good about me.
Within me there exists a deep love and hopefulness that truly guides me through
each day I live. I know this about me and this is beautiful.

I also know that I have scars and not just on the outside. I have many scars on
the inside that tell horrors that most who know me could not imagine. Most who
know me would have trouble comprehending the level of mental abuse that I have
endured in my 38 years. This doesn’t mean that they don’t care about me; it just
means that we have different lives and come from different places (in this world).
My scars on the outside tell a story that reminds me of who I am and where I come
from. My scars on the inside consistently point me in the direction that I need to be
going in, so that is indeed the direction that I am heading.

These scars exist in my present life and will exist to some degree until the day that
I die. This is how it is. The human brain allows for this to happen. Our brain also
possesses the capacity to grow beyond the damage done that remains fresh in our
scars. This is a beautiful thing. It is truly remarkable the ways in which a person
can be so damaged and broken and yet at the same time be incredibly strong and
capable of moving forward in a positive yet realistic direction.

In my personal experience, I have proven that it is indeed possible to, if you will,
take the lemons that you have been handed and truly make the most delicious
lemonade out of them. This lemonade can be quite refreshing and invigorating.
This I do believe.

Each one of us existing on this planet, at our cores, all have huge potential to
become something great. Some people have got it made and some people struggle
immensely. It is interesting how people who have it made and live what at least
on the outside appears to be an easier life and those who struggle a great deal both
suffer in a similar way when it comes to feeling pain and hurt. This is because pain
and hurt exists regardless of who you are, where you come from or how much
money you have.

We owe it to ourselves and to each other to think about who we want to be in this
world. Are we committed toward overcoming the negatives that plague us in our
daily lives? Do we want to rise above the unfortunate damage and the horrendous
scarring that hold us back from becoming who we need to be in this world and in
each of our personal worlds and inside our heads?

If I asked the world to tell the truth about me, it may come in the form of a warm
sea breeze or as April showers. The truth about me may exist in all the flower
patches of the world and in both the richest and poorest of places. The truth speaks
volumes and the truth can be represented in good and healthy ways. We don’t have
to succumb to our scars and the mental devastation that takes up way too much
space in our brains.

Within me there exists a deep and profound love and sense of hopefulness that I
don’t need to be defined by my scars. My scars on my outside tell unmistakable
tales of trauma. My scars on my inside can cripple me and prevent me from
becoming the person that I so desperately aspire to be. The truth about me is that
my dreams are coming true and that all the scars in my world and all the scars that
people experience every single second of the day on this planet, in no way need to
define the lives we live.

My feeling is that if we can own who we are, then no one can take away the
goodness inside each and every one us. The only person who truly will keep you
down is you. If you know deep inside that you want something more out of life,
then it is your job to seek it out and fight for your better day. This can be done. I
am living proof of this.

Today I learned something of extreme value. I learned that lightening strikes twice.