The other side of darkness...

I recently had an incredibly personal article published. An article that took me two years to start and over two months to finish. It wasn't something I really planed to do although the thought had crossed my mind to share my story, the idea had never stayed long enough or with enough conviction for me to ever start writing anything. While I'd always thought it was a story and perspective that needed sharing I had never been willing to put myself out there; to make myself vulnerable and be the one to say what needed to be said.

As writer and researcher Brene Brown once said “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

Her words resonate some place deep within in a space where there are no words. The truth is writing honestly was an incredibly uncomfortable process but also an incredibly healing one. It involved reliving many of my most painful memories and making myself incredibly vulnerable; something I tend to avoid. But it was a process that lead me to the realisation that until I, until we are willing to open ourselves up, to let our invulnerability's be seen and share the darkness we have faced we will never fully come to terms with our past and discover the light and healing that is just on the other side of darkness. A light that we have come to know though and because of our pain.

“What happens when people open their hearts?"...
"They get better.”

Haruki Marakami