I am not Invincible.

As I lay awake in my bed this morning waiting and wishing for the seemingly unrelenting ache in my hip to subside, I found myself thinking back to a conversation I had with a dear friend of mine a couple weeks ago. Her words play back in my head like a tape recorder. “ Becca, you’re not invincible, sister.” She’s right. I am not invincible. None of us have adversity immunity.

I think that in life, there is this unacknowledged competition among humans. We actually say things like, “ what she has to deal with is much worse than what he is going through.” I cannot even tell you how many times people have approached me and said that they cannot even begin to imagine what it’s like to be me. Today, I want to talk about how pain and adversity is measured. I believe that what we often fail to realize is although pain comes in many different forms and originates from a variety of different circumstances, we have all experienced it. Pain is pain. My pain, whether it is physical or emotional isn’t any more significant than another person’s pain. We have all faced adversity. We can all empathize with what it is feels like to be defeated. We all know what it feels like to be tired. These emotions are a part of life and quite frankly, I think a “ necessary evil”. As much as we may detest being in that headspace, we need to give ourselves permission to feel our shitty emotions, because it is what allows us to move forward. Without adversity, we have no reason to hope. We would have no reason to live.

As I write, I am thinking about a video that was shared with me yesterday. You may recall seeing a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl about a young Paralympic athlete; a skier who was born without her legs. Despite her challenges, she defied the odds and became a Paralympian. The commercial showcases her difficult, yet triumphant journey to realizing her dream. Her challenges ignited a fire deep inside of her soul. They became her motivation. Thank you for sharing your story, Lauren Woolstencroft!

Whenever I have been faced with extreme adversity in my life, I have seen butterflies for some unknown reason. This has been an on-going reoccurrence for me since I was a very young chid. Sometimes, if I close my eyes, I can envision my tiny body breaking out of my cocoon just as if I have suddenly morphed into a stunningly beautiful butterfly vibrant with colour. Today my cocoon is my pain level, and even though it sucks big kahunas, I am determined to fly to the best of my ability.

My point is: When your wings feel as though they are being sucker punched, take some time to stop and breathe for as long as you need. When you’re ready, you will have the strength to get up and start flapping those vibrant wings again!

I am not invincible, but I am unstoppable.