Hard times

I have to be honest with you, there was a time, way back, when I spent ages (years, actually) in a far more precarious situation than anything I’ve been through recently. It was touch and go whether I’d come out of it alive at times, and when my back’s against the wall, I sometimes think back and remember what I went through. Yep, it was really tough, and sometimes embarrassing, if I’m honest, but I don’t mind sharing it with you.

I had to find a way out

You see, I was in a situation where I had no power to do anything for myself. I was weak as a kitten and physically helpless to the point of being as good as totally disabled, and to make it worse, I wasn’t even able to ask for help. Oh, there were people around who could help me, that’s true enough, but I couldn’t understand a word they were saying and I could barely recognise them. I was in a hopeless situation and frustrated beyond words. Somehow I just knew I had to find a way out of it.

It was a struggle, I won’t deny it. Took me a few years. And those were hard years, really hard. I came up against some of the biggest obstacles you could ever imagine and somehow I just knew I had to try to work my way through them. Those were really, really tough times, make no mistake. I’m not ashmed to admit I cried myself to sleep more than once. As a matter of fact I cried a lot of the time. I was just so frustrated! And all the time I still had to find a way to work things out. My only hope was to solve the problems I was faced with, even though I was barely able to even recognise them for what they were. I was just so completely out of my depth, but somehow, over a period of a few years, I overcame it all, every bit of it, and I don’t mind saying I’m proud of that.

And you should be too. You went through the same hardships I did, and during the same period too – the very first few years of your life. It’s a time when you’re presented with a seemingly endless (and seemingly random) series of mysterious problems to deal with, and no real idea of how to go about any of it. It’s all hit-and-miss, trial and error, and making more mistakes than breakthroughs. Day after day, there’s frustration by the bucketload, and lots of pain along the way too. Those first few teeth, my word, they were so-o-o painful when they were coming through, and to make it worse we didn’t even know why we were in pain.

Somehow we made it, all of us, which, to be frank, is a miracle. We came in with no knowledge of … well, of anything really. We didn’t know the language, we didn’t know the people, we didn’t know how to communicate, we didn’t know a single, solitary thing. We didn’t even know what was okay to do, or what was deadly dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. It certainly was the toughest time of all our lives, and the most dangerous, and yet we survived. We just kept plugging away till we cracked it, and we did!

Amazing really that, almost as soon as it’s happened, we quickly shove the whole experience to the backs of our minds and we stop focusing on the pain and frustration. Really amazing … or should that be merciful … anyway, if ever you’re faced with a problem that leaves you angry and mystified and you find yourself clenching your fists in despair and frustration, just think on … Remember how strong minded and resourceful you’ve already proved yourself to be. Like I said, you came in with no knowledge of anything, and within a few years you’d learned to walk, you’d mastered a whole new language, and you’d learned how to communicate pretty effectively with people. If you had to start from scratch and learn even a fraction of that right now you know you’d be up against it.

So what I’m saying is, don’t be too hard on yourself. Okay, what you achieved in those early years was no more than anyone else, but that doesn’t diminish it. It’s still an amazing achievement. It’s without doubt the greatest learning experience of your life. And you should be proud of yourself. We’re all a bit too quick to minimise our talents, and our achievements, but the truth is we’re pretty amazing really. Go on, take a bow! 😉