Standing against all odds

The troubles we can withstand are a testament to the incredible strength of the human spirit.

We are capable of enduring more than we often realise.

Music has a remarkable ability to transport humans to another time or place and it was Elton John’s I’m Still Standing playing on my car radio that stitched together the fabric of my experiences, weaving a soundtrack that accompanied my life’s journey.

And at the end of the journey through my past, I felt like fist-bumping myself.

Not that I have faced natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes or hurricanes, or have been involved in a real war or conflict, but I certainly have faced countless personal challenges.

This made me realise that there is an incredible adaptability, strength and perseverance inherent in the human spirit.

Loss is a universal human experience, but the loss of a child brings a numbing sort of pain that lingers in one’s body and mind for years.

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Was it not for humans’ innate capacity to process and eventually heal from those deep emotional wounds, one would not be able to move forward with a renewed sense of hope and purpose.

I suppose that, rethinking my journey, my life so far has been relatively okay. My grandmother often said that “the good Lord dishes only that on your plate which you can eat”.

She also said that “we can choose to lose, or choose to win”. The latter is obviously the best choice and everyone that had to plough through the darkest of times often live to tell stories of survival, resistance, and rebuilding.

This brings me to the conclusion that humans find ways to endure the unimaginable, whether through acts of bravery, solidarity, or sheer willpower, irrespective of the scars we always carry within.

As a victim of a violent hijacking last year – where three gunmen held guns to my head, then hit and kicked me in the ribs while lying on a pavement, desperately clinging to my handbag – I can understand the remnants of anxiety or even PTSD that accompanies such a crime.

The feelings of hopelessness and despair while lying there is indescribable.

The journey from that day is indeed long and challenging and even now my heart turns in my chest when a group of men approach me.

I long for the day that I could just see people as people, not potential robbers.

I cope, but I want to move past that four-letter word and change “cope” to “live”.

I believe that someday soon, I will thrive and triumph over the most recent adversity.

“Looking like a true survivor…” Elton sings. Indeed, I am.

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