Survival and Success-

It is not about how many times you get knocked to the ground, it is the fact that you will get up after each knock and still keep walking forward-

Yes life has knocked me down
Yes I bleed today
Yes it is cold and lonely
Yes I hurt
Yes there is loss
Yes I struggle
Yes I break
Yes the unexpected picture of you moving on can make me stop breathing
...
And yes, I must bow my head and sit awhile
Down here on the ground tonight
As I contemplate-
Not my defeat,
Not my demise
Not my failure
I contemplate
My strength
My courage
My capacity to love
My pain
...
No I am not yet ready
To move on
No I have not the strength
To get up off the ground- today
Today, I can only breathe
And that is okay
Today my head is down
But it bows
Not in defeat
It bows in acceptance
Awareness and recognition
Today I am aground
...
The longer I remain here now
The stronger I will grow
The deeper I will go
The better I will get to know
Me...
It is not unfamiliar
This place where I am today
I have been here
Many times before
...
I used to be scared of it
I ran away from it
I believed that it broke me down
But it does not-
It is a part of my life
If I keep running
Afraid of where I am
I cannot really live
Yes it is true
The statement
"Shahnaz down!"
...
Here is my home for now
And I shall remain
For as long as is needed
To mend what is broken
To heal what is poisoned
To learn
Humility
Courage
Strength
...
I shall sit here
Curled up in a ball
Up against this cold wall
I shall get used to it
I shall learn from it
How to survive a fall
...
I shall be patient
And wait
And bide my time
Until my moment comes
And when it is time
And when I am ready
I shall get up
And move on
...