What Defines You? - 2/3/21

What defines you? A career? A relationship? A house? Past traumas? Unfortunate circumstances or events? For me my injury suddenly became my identity. I was the girl with the brain injury. I was the friend that could no longer be a friend. I was the girlfriend that could no longer be a girlfriend. I was the girl that had to move back into her parents basement because I couldn't take care of myself. I had nothing to offer anyone. I mourned the loss of who I once was. It became glaringly obvious what did define who I was before my injury, and what defined me after my injury.

So what does that look like for you? To strip away all the external things that we let "determine" who we are. What if you can't do your hobbies anymore? What if you can't do your career? What if who you are relationally changes? What if you find that you have nothing to give and can only receive and your life now depends on the grace and kindness of others?

For me, "who am I" was something I struggled with for a very long time. It took so much effort to sort through all the emotions, the confusion, the loss, to realize there's so much more to me than the external things I identify with.

This quote spoke to my heart in a big way. For some reason I'm noticing that everything seems to come back to choice in my life. I had the choice to stay in the tragedy and let it define me or I could let something beautiful come from it. The lessons I learned were hard. But it made me who I am now. And, for that, I will forever be grateful for this beautiful tragedy.

- L

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