I'm a Survivor!

I'm a proud owner of a beautiful orange marmalade cat that goes by the name Ginger - a playful, majestic golden feline with dark brown stripes and a pink nose. About a week ago Ginger went into the garden for his usual stroll but never returned. We looked everywhere, without success. As the days rolled by, we got more and more anxious. After exactly 1 week of praying and searching, I got a phone call from our house keeper. "Come home now. Ginger's back but he's badly injured - he can't even walk!"

I had gone shopping and immediately dropped everything and headed straight home. On arrival, I was greeted by the horrific sight of a clearly wounded Ginger, painfully dragging his hind legs as he attempted to hobble towards me. My mind told me he'd probably been attacked by our neighbors' dogs. Frantic, I called my sister, who was at work, and we rushed Ginger to the Vet. After a thorough examination, the Vet announced, much to our relief and surprise, "Your cat is a little shaken up and bruised but fine. Nothing's broken. However, how well he recovers will depend on his attitude. If he believes he's badly wounded, or even crippled, there's a chance he might limp permanently. But, if everything goes accordingly, he should be good as new in no time!"

 Now, there's a valuable lesson for all of us in this personal anecdote. Like my cat Ginger,we may find ourselves crawling home,a battered, bleeding mess, bearing a broken heart, tear-stained face and shattered dreams, having been viciously beaten and had the living daylights kicked out of us by a cruel, hateful world. The loss of a job, a loved one, our physical health, or even rejection by others can leave us badly traumatized and disorientated.

 But, instead of curling up into a ball and giving in to defeat, we can decide to pick ourselves up, dry our tears and stagger towards our dreams, stumbling and falling, but moving forward all the same. Instead of pining over our losses and wallowing in self-pity and regret, we can smile and proudly declare, "I'm a survivor!" Before you throw in the towel, label yourself a failure, or write that suicide note, remember you're a lot stronger than you think. Pat yourself on the back for making it through the greatest losses, biggest humiliation and most painful experiences of your life. In Mariah Carey's words, " There's a hero if you look inside your heart." So, keep hoping, keep dreaming, keep living. The best in life is waiting!