Oprah Winfrey tells us, “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” Debbie Ford suggests that we look to see how our wounds have benefited us. That’s a challenge for me because it feels like I’m saying that what happened is okay.
But what if we look at our wounds in a different way? Where have they led us? Where are we now that we might not have been otherwise?
A new wound is delicate and must be honored as such. With an older wound, we can ask ourselves if we wish to continue to carry it around like a heavy backpack weighing us down?
One thing that helped me after Christopher died at 9 was to focus more on the good times than the bad, more on the laughter than the sadness. Of course it took time and an earnest desire to want to be happy again.
Our wounds are likely to crack us open, offering us a strength, a sensitivity and an awareness that we may not have had otherwise. I discovered a strength I didn’t know I possessed.
Many of us wish the wound-causing experience never happened. But we often don’t get that choice. However, we can choose how we respond to it?
Photo Credit: Niklas Tinner
