Serendipitous Girl

*Contains Graphic Details of Abuse* For the people who have spent a lifetime being told you are too much, yet you still aren't enough, I personally understand the struggle to believe you are indeed enough. Our childhoods shape and mold us into the person we become. Some upbringings are destined to lead us to success, while others are destined to lead us to pain and failure. I know, we all have free will. As grown adults, we cannot blame our failures on our parents or their lack of parenting. However, children learn what they live. When you are raised to feel small, so someone else can feel bigger, and when you are raised to believe you are worthless, somewhere along the way, you are going to believe you are small and worthless. And believe me, shaking off that shroud is no easy feat, but when a victim finds her voice and uses it, she ceases playing the role of victim. In those moments, she can feel her spine lengthen and grow rigid, standing tall—maybe for the first time as she bec...

  1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men are assaulted in their lifetime. Each year, over 3.6 million children are victims of child abuse. In the span of one minute, nearly 20 individuals are assaulted during a domestic violence attack. I lost track of how many times I was one of those individuals. Frankly, I never kept count–the black eyes, broken noses, taped-up broken glasses, bruises, concussions, and welts seamlessly blended through the fabric of time. From the age of five until the age of twenty-five, this was my life. When I should have been in gymnastics class, I was forced to hide or lie by stating, "I was hit in the face with a softball."  Yes, there were moments, and even months, when my body was not used as a punching bag, but that is when verbal and emotional abuse took over. I mastered the art of walking on eggshells. It took years for me to comprehend that my abuse was not my fault. The day I realized I didn't deserve to live a life riddled with the physical and emoti...