Broken

“So many broken children living in grown bodies mimicking adult lives,” Ljeoma Umebinyo

I have read this quote numerous times. It's powerful on many different levels, but it resonated with me. Someone else could have read the quote and emotionally walked away- never a thought or two more. The words somehow continued to strike a chord. Broken.

Such a strong word. As humans, we pride ourselves often on being strong and emotionally stable. If we were able to take off the mask that our childhood upbringing informed us of, what society needs and what we trick our mind into believing is real- many of us would be fragments of pain. Broken pieces glued together through the resilience of having to ‘stick it out,’ to form a life, an adult life. Broken. The glued pieces that have been constructed since early development that if taken apart- make the entire structure crumble. It’s like the loose ends are just waiting until there is an opening. That opening can often be a triggering event, the beginning of drug use- it can be anything. When we aren’t whole, as individuals, our souls seek something to keep the cycle of pain at bay. Drugs for the moment make the mind feel less broken. Relationships for the moment make the heart feel less broken. Shopping makes the anxiety feel less broken. Filling the void so the pieces don’t scatter- the broken pieces.

How did we become broken? How did the pieces get scattered and now as adults we use superficial bandages to heal deep wounds that need stitches to mend? So many pieces to the puzzle- so many broken pieces. We could spend our entire lives looking back- diving deep into how the road led to this. Would it help? Would it change the journey? When we are lost on the road- many of us don’t hit reverse and go backwards. We stop, figure out the destination and head there. Picking up the broken pieces can be similar. If we all stopped a moment- took a deep moment. Visualized the destination and kept on- what would that look like? Would you travel if you knew it would continue to bring pain, sadness and fear? Most of us wouldn’t. This is the time to go forward. Acknowledge the brokenness- the experiences that led you to YOU. The strengths you have gain from your life. The person you have become, the amazingly unique you. Now imagine the destination- the intention. Embrace that. Go forward.

From Broken to Brave.