[2022-02-13] You get stronger
A friend sent me this short poem by author L.R. Knost:
Life doesn't always get better.
But you do. You get stronger.
You get wiser. You get softer.
With tattered wings you rise.
And the world watches in wonder
at the breathless beauty of
a human who survived life.
It speaks to me. It's a little bit of realism (Life doesn't always get better, With tattered wings you rise) mixed with a lot of optimism (You get stronger, You get wiser, You get softer). That's how I see life: imperfect, challenging, wondrous. Most importantly, I see life as an endless opportunity to learn and grow.
I was telling a friend today that I was lucky to have met a woman who was older and wiser than I was at the impressionable age of 18. She was a work colleague in the department where I became a summer student. She was like an older version of me who had come back in time to help her younger self. Inspired by her example, I started reading self-help books and reflecting in my diary on what I was learning. It was therapy. It had a profound impact on my understanding of myself, my views of other people, and my perspective of relationships.
I have had similar experiences, though on a smaller scale, since writing Jenesis. Many readers have shared their personal stories as well as wisdom they have derived from others, such as the poem my friend sent me. Such generosity has helped me to be stronger, wiser and softer.
