So you came to attack again, you coward! You come while I sleep and sneak into this home uninvited. You are so pathetic. Though it will take a while to get back to normal, to feel the strength I had before, I will get there because I am made of the right stuff. Love keeps me strong, love for myself, for others and the world. So when I think of you it is as something dull and wilted, a thing to be ignored.

I got where I am by being tough, but the real prize was staying true to the real me. I can switch off all empathy and go cold, see ulterior motives from a mile off like some crazy windmill punch, but I save that for when I’m around the cold fish who can’t see that emotional indifference is bad. Those creatures are locked into coldness; they lost their ability to love. That’s a high price to pay for money and power – it’s the surrendering of the soul.

Not me though. I can still love. I just learned how to put a door over the top of my heart, one I can lock, unlock, close or open whenever I want. So when I see the real thing, an open heart that’s vulnerable and real, I open the door so wide and we connect. It’s my superpower and I hope it can be yours. There’s more to being a survivor than just hanging on, you can really learn how to thrive and help others do the same.

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