Growing Pain or Sitting On A Cactus

I am not much different than any of you who read this text, I`m in my mid-twenties and I`m wondering where I came from and where I am headed. These are pretty hard questions especially because of all the experiences from my past; they formed me and made me the person who I am right now. When I was younger, I have always heard from people around me that hard situations in my life are just growing pain and they are going to move me foreword and direct me towards the right direction, but by now I think there were moments when I was more likely sitting on a cactus. I mean, I felt the pain out of the situation, but did not move me the direction I wanted it to and I definitely haven`t seemed to learn out of them other than "Don`t ever do this again!" or "Don`t ever trust that person!". I was wondering many times, why was this happening, but I haven`t really found the right answer to this question and I`m not sure if I will ever know it for sure. You might wonder, "But what are you exactly trying to say?!" and” Who are you?!" What I`m trying to say is that hard pasts are not always our fault, life happens and we can`t change that. I lost my mother in a really early age, I couldn’t do much... She got sick and in a matter of time she wasn`t there anymore. I didn`t deserve it to happen, but it did anyway. It formed me and made me a stronger person, helped me to understand people`s situation and their pain. Helped me to have more empathy and just be there for someone when it was time. I`m pretty sure, you all have something like this in your own life, something that you have unanswered questions about, chapters unfinished and you know what... it`s OK. This is what makes you YOU. I have struggled and still have some issues with depression and anxiety, did I ask for them?! Nooooo... Nobody does, but it happens anyway. I know it`s still a stigma in many places and situations. I`ve seen it before, but struggling doesn`t mean you are worse than anyone else or that you are failing in life. It only means that you are still a human, you still have feelings, that`s important. Nobody is perfect, I mean it. Maybe you don`t see their struggles and flaws, but they still have it. We all do…

Let`s learn something from a cactus, we don`t decide to get hurt by its thorns but we can decide, if we sit on that sweetheart. Also, did a cactus choose to have thorns?! I don`t thinks so. We all gain thorns along the way, some to protect us, some to remind us who we are and some... some of them are more like war scars. Those thorns, they are like a map for our past to help people understand the road we walked on. Is it bad all together?! - No! Definitely not! Why is it?! - Because You are You, a beautiful You who is strong and survived this all. Some might not understand it, but you know it deep inside. You might hear it often, that your past doesn`t define your future. That is quite true, but I would add to it, that dwelling on the past for long won`t help much. Let`s grow like a cactus, slowly but surely, without intentionally hurting anyone and bringing forth beautiful flowers when it`s time and when it`s ready for it. Sweet, beautiful cactus is not in a hurry, neither are you. Take your time if it`s needed, but make sure that you are moving forward and not backwards.