...and still I rise
Hello again, I hope the sun is shining on you and the world seems to be behaving, wherever you might be as you read this latest post. As many of you will know, the title comes from a wonderful poem by the inspirational Maya Angelou, if you have a chance, read the whole piece, because I am sure you will find it genuinely uplifting..there's one line particularly which resonates with me,
'You may tread me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I'll rise.'
I think we have all had times where we have felt as if someone or, in fact, life itself as trodden on us, but if we could remember that line - even when we are at our lowest ebb, perhaps it would be somehow easier to get back up and face the world again. Oh I know that sounds simplistic, but I believe we all need to get inspiration from somewhere and why not from the words of a great talent ?
In my own life, I have struggled with periods of debilitating depression, where even the thought of simply moving from one room to another has seemed way too much. It's a dark and lonely place, your mind is either filled with negative thoughts or just a confused fog which makes no sense at all. Now, nobody 'made' me depressed, I am not even sure it would be true to say, certain events pushed me into the abyss..it's just a part of who I am and, for the most part, I can control how tight the grip it has on my life. But when a particularly bad episode hits, there seems to be little I can do but wait for the storm to pass...although, as I said earlier, I do try to find some light and once found, do everything I can to hold on.
But it's strange how even the most unlikely events can shed that light...how something even as simple as watching a movie or hearing a song can reach through that 'mind fog' and remind us of perhaps happier times or inspire us to find strength again. I know many people find their 'light' gets switched on again when they read about a celebrity who struggled with the same issues they're facing and they find comfort in the realisation, that, after all, there is still hope because if that TV star/singer etc can survive, so can they. As an aside, that's quite a thought, isn't it ? That even if you never meet someone, their story can help you make sense of your own. Obviously, those of you with a religious faith will find support and comfort through prayer, which must help you feel less alone when the world seems a dark and forbidding place. So often, religious leaders are described in terms of shining a light and so I hope, you never feel completely lost too.
But as I said earlier, talking of 'rising' is so much easier than actually doing it ! There have been a few occasions in my life when there seems to be no real reason to even try to get up again, so I have withdrawn from the world completely, in the belief there's some kind of safety in maintaining distance. I have been told, this can be a healthy option, as it gives you time to recover and reassemble your thoughts before going back out into the world. I have to say, it hasn't always been that way for me, as the longer I've spent in seclusion, the harder it's been to leave it. Sometimes the world being 'out there somewhere' is preferable than being 'out there' yourself.
Even though it can be an over-used word, it takes courage to rise..especially when you have to come back up from the lowest place imaginable, but it can be done - I am living proof, as are many other people. Of course, the chances are we will fall again, that some hurt - real or imagined- will pull the rug from under our feet and we will tumble..but we will rise and keep on rising. I know I am starting to sound like some godawful allegedly 'inspirational' quote, but it's true.
Now you may be wondering what has prompted this train of thought, well, I have been going through a particularly low period - life has felt like one long obstacle course. Anyway, I found myself watching a movie and although based on a celebrity's life, many of the incidents portrayed, were surprisingly similar to aspects of my own experience. As I watched, I found myself remembering things from my past, I try very hard not to think about at all, which you might think, would have made me feel even worse. But, my friends, you would be wrong. Instead of dragging my spirits even further down, watching that movie reminded me, of how far I had come, what sadness and pain I had known...yet none of them had kept me from getting back up and living life again. So however hard life felt, I had been through worse and so must have risen...and if I could do it then, I could do it now.
Those who believe in Fate, might well conclude that movie was on, so I could see it and have this revelatory moment - well, as I don't know for sure if that's either right or wrong, I can't say if that's true...all I can say, is when I needed inspiration, it came...and I sincerely hope, if you're ever truly low, it will come for you too....until the next time...
Take care out there xx
'You may tread me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I'll rise.'
I think we have all had times where we have felt as if someone or, in fact, life itself as trodden on us, but if we could remember that line - even when we are at our lowest ebb, perhaps it would be somehow easier to get back up and face the world again. Oh I know that sounds simplistic, but I believe we all need to get inspiration from somewhere and why not from the words of a great talent ?
In my own life, I have struggled with periods of debilitating depression, where even the thought of simply moving from one room to another has seemed way too much. It's a dark and lonely place, your mind is either filled with negative thoughts or just a confused fog which makes no sense at all. Now, nobody 'made' me depressed, I am not even sure it would be true to say, certain events pushed me into the abyss..it's just a part of who I am and, for the most part, I can control how tight the grip it has on my life. But when a particularly bad episode hits, there seems to be little I can do but wait for the storm to pass...although, as I said earlier, I do try to find some light and once found, do everything I can to hold on.
But it's strange how even the most unlikely events can shed that light...how something even as simple as watching a movie or hearing a song can reach through that 'mind fog' and remind us of perhaps happier times or inspire us to find strength again. I know many people find their 'light' gets switched on again when they read about a celebrity who struggled with the same issues they're facing and they find comfort in the realisation, that, after all, there is still hope because if that TV star/singer etc can survive, so can they. As an aside, that's quite a thought, isn't it ? That even if you never meet someone, their story can help you make sense of your own. Obviously, those of you with a religious faith will find support and comfort through prayer, which must help you feel less alone when the world seems a dark and forbidding place. So often, religious leaders are described in terms of shining a light and so I hope, you never feel completely lost too.
But as I said earlier, talking of 'rising' is so much easier than actually doing it ! There have been a few occasions in my life when there seems to be no real reason to even try to get up again, so I have withdrawn from the world completely, in the belief there's some kind of safety in maintaining distance. I have been told, this can be a healthy option, as it gives you time to recover and reassemble your thoughts before going back out into the world. I have to say, it hasn't always been that way for me, as the longer I've spent in seclusion, the harder it's been to leave it. Sometimes the world being 'out there somewhere' is preferable than being 'out there' yourself.
Even though it can be an over-used word, it takes courage to rise..especially when you have to come back up from the lowest place imaginable, but it can be done - I am living proof, as are many other people. Of course, the chances are we will fall again, that some hurt - real or imagined- will pull the rug from under our feet and we will tumble..but we will rise and keep on rising. I know I am starting to sound like some godawful allegedly 'inspirational' quote, but it's true.
Now you may be wondering what has prompted this train of thought, well, I have been going through a particularly low period - life has felt like one long obstacle course. Anyway, I found myself watching a movie and although based on a celebrity's life, many of the incidents portrayed, were surprisingly similar to aspects of my own experience. As I watched, I found myself remembering things from my past, I try very hard not to think about at all, which you might think, would have made me feel even worse. But, my friends, you would be wrong. Instead of dragging my spirits even further down, watching that movie reminded me, of how far I had come, what sadness and pain I had known...yet none of them had kept me from getting back up and living life again. So however hard life felt, I had been through worse and so must have risen...and if I could do it then, I could do it now.
Those who believe in Fate, might well conclude that movie was on, so I could see it and have this revelatory moment - well, as I don't know for sure if that's either right or wrong, I can't say if that's true...all I can say, is when I needed inspiration, it came...and I sincerely hope, if you're ever truly low, it will come for you too....until the next time...
Take care out there xx
