Strong As Hell

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I Am Strong As Hell

I am strong as hell. Yeah, I said it. Yep, it’s the title of this this article and it’s on a website for moms. You’re probably thinking “wow that’s brazen.” You’re right, it absolutely is. Maybe you’re thinking it’s inappropriate, wrong, or even thinking “narcissistic much?” Well, to you I say this one’s for you!

Let’s begin with a simple question. What is your definition of the word strong? Is it being able to lift 200 pounds? Is it surviving cancer? Is it finding the will to end an addiction? Is it giving birth? Is it raising a child with special needs? Is it surviving the loss of a loved one? What do you think it is?

Throughout my life, I have been called “strong” more times than I can count and for more reasons than you would care to spend time reading about. No, I am not bragging either. I never even understood why and always felt like the person who said it to me was just trying to be kind. Being strong to me, looked like someone else, not me.

However, what I came to realize from those experiences and from watching others over the years is that real strength is a choice. It’s your will, your desire, your passion, your determination; it’s your choice to continue existing through it all with every ounce of effort you have to give it.

I recently found this old note that my Dad wrote to me many years ago and I realized that being strong is something that was ingrained in me since I was a child and I didn’t even know it. His note says, “Remember, Life is not always easy (that’s the challenge)! To learn how to overcome and move forward. I love you! Keep your head on straight and don’t give up… Me”.

Note from my dad

Life is hard. Make no mistake about it. We ALL face pain, challenges, heartbreak, and at some point we all hit that point in which we can either choose to give up and let the darkness take over, or we can choose to continue putting one foot in front of the other and fighting for just one more day, one more breath, one more chance to get it right. Some of us hit that point many times through our life.

I’ve hit bottom more times than I care to admit and each time I contemplated giving up. I asked myself “why bother anymore?” The pain I felt from what was happening in my life at the time seemed unbearable and I didn’t think I could possibly make it through. I became depressed, I stopped caring at all about taking care of myself, I even took a backseat to the darkness for awhile and let it have control of the driver’s seat.

What I didn’t do though, was stop fully existing; physically or mentally. I kept breathing. I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I may have been walking through life with a confused sense of purpose or direction for awhile, but I kept walking it and eventually, with the help of others and my own determination to overcome and keep moving forward, the spark in me was lit again and I found myself fighting my way back to the surface.

I know you’ve been there before. We all have, but guess what? The fact that you are even reading this article right now means that YOU are strong as hell too! You hit bottom, but you made the choice not to give up; not to let it beat you. It’s possible that you may have even decided to give up and tried to leave this world, but here you are. Regardless of how, your story wasn’t over yet and here you are continuing to put one foot in front of the other.

So here we go. My challenge to you is be brazen! Say it with me! I AM STRONG AS HELL! Repeat it over and over again until you understand that it is TRUTH!!

Girl, life is going to continue throwing curve balls in your direction every chance it gets. It’s going to try it’s best to knock you down over and over again. You may even hit rock bottom multiple times, but hear me out! You are strong as hell! You can and will overcome anything life throws at you as long as you always remember to just keep existing because that superwoman inside of you will not let you give up and will eventually pull you back to the surface! I promise!

If you are currently letting the darkness take the driver’s seat and feeling like you’re ready to just give up, please don’t. Please know that there are people out there who can and will help you! Please take one more breath, one more step, and pick up the phone and call for help:

Suicide Prevention Hotline:
1-800-273-8255

National Sexual Assault Hotline:
1-800-656-4673

National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224(TTY)

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Brooke Moore
Brooke is many things, but normal is not one of them! She’s a native of SC who was raised in Bamberg and has been living in Columbia since 2017. She’s a Mom of 3 amazing kids. Brooke and her husband Chris married in 2014. Together, they’ve become avid advocates for autism awareness in support of their son Will. Brooke holds a Masters in Information Technology and works as an IT Security Risk Analyst. In addition to her love for writing, Brooke also loves running, bow hunting, and tattoos. She’s a Christian who’s definitely not without flaw, a survivor, and an advocate for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. In her spare time she writes for her blog at https://brookemoore.medium.com and feeds her social media obsession on Facebook.

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