It does not come easily for me to say I’m a survivor. For most of my life, I convinced myself that saying so meant being a victim or some other negative thing. But now, in my later years, I realize being a survivor means so much more. I am not just a survivor of childhood sexual assault; I am a survivor of my own DNA, mental illness, and life in general. I’ve come to recognize that I am tenacious and determined when I choose to be. No matter how many twists, turns, and shrapnel life throws at me, I seem to navigate through it all. I might take time to wallow, but I always get up and get back to the fight.
My therapist asks me all the time, “How did you get through that?” or “How did you do that?” My answer… I don’t know—what other choice is there? And that’s exactly it: what other choice is there? None, really.
I often refer to the song “The Next Right Thing” from Frozen 2:
Just do the next right thing
Take a step, step again
It is all that I can to do
The next right thing
I won’t look too far ahead
It’s too much for me to take
But break it down to this next breath
This next step
This next choice is one that I can make
So I’ll walk through this night
Stumbling blindly toward the light
And do the next right thing
So, next time you think it’s too dark to go on… take that next breath, take the next step, look for the light, and find one thing you can anchor your happiness to. Hang in there, because it will be worth it.
E