Well, after last week’s devastating earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear power leaks in Japan, the world is in mourning for this economic and technological hub and it’s kind of difficult to find anything to smile about right now. But sadly, life goes on.
Have you ever had the feeling that your world is totally shaken and you’re drowning in a sea of chaos? Hmmm. I think a few of our Asian neighbours know that feeling well right now. This Saturday was the 5th anniversary of my best friend’s passing. As usual, I was a mess all day! It reminded me of how shattered I was over the time that she passed. In so many ways, I fell apart. After I had spent month’s looking after her, she gave up the fight to survive and she passed on. I was livid and shattered.
At the time my world ended. I couldn’t eat, sleep, think or work. Even breathing felt like an impossible task. Her passing made me think more about my mortality and I began to think my life was going nowhere. I went a little dilly, I must admit. I quit my job and pushed my friends away. I even stopped wearing heels (and make-up). I allowed the anger and sadness to swallow me up. My closest friend, my sister and my confidant was gone. And she took our special times and deepest secrets with her. Devastation doesn’t quite describe the feeling.
But slowly, the pieces began to fit back together again. My boss, at the time, phoned me and told me it was time to return to work after three months – no hard feelings, I just slotted back in to a new position with loads of support. My boyfriend (the Squidge-master) was a punching bag, a hugging bear, a sounding board and a great big tissue for over a year while the pain eased. And my family were rock stars in every way possible.
It was difficult to watch Natalie experience an even deeper sense of loss than mine last year, when her brother passed. However, she kept herself together. She was shaken, but not shattered. She was deeply battered, but not broken. She managed to put survival above her own sense of deep and personal loss. That’s a very hard thing to do and I respect her hugely for the way she mourned so quietly, openly and honestly, while continuing to live.
High Heelers, as human beings we were built to survive. Our predecessors lived through world wars and climatic disasters. We are we the children of the ones that survived and we all have the will and strength to survive within us – it’s in our genes. If you’re going through trials right now, remember that the only way out is through. And remember that tough times come, but they always come to pass – focus on the light at the end of the tunnel (no matter how dimly it flickers right now, it’s there, and as you move further down the path it will begin to blaze brighter with every step.)
It’s awful when everything seems to fall apart and there’s nothing you can do about it. But there actually is something you can do. You can choose to stand up, dust yourself off, put on your highest heels and walk on tall. Survival is a choice, as much as it is in your DNA and your destiny. It really is that simple (and that difficult).
May you all have a wonderful week as you dust off the small and the big disappointments and walk on with confidence and strength. You are a High Heeler. You are a survivor.
Cheers,
Jo
(This post is dedicated to my precious, Robynne. A beautiful woman who was too special for this world. She rests in quietness, now and forever, in the next.)
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