Like glass

In the three years that I have lived in Alabama, I have always passed a shop window on my way home from school. My eyes are drawn to this window every time because part of it is broken. It hasn’t been “fixed,” and I believe it’s because the hole is small in comparison to the large window and therefore doesn’t really affect it. 

It’s hard to believe that the glass has remained undeterred. Even though a piece of it is broken, it remains as sturdy as though it were whole. Much like pain. Like glass, emotions are fragile and appear weak. But at the same time, they provide visuals we wouldn’t have before and help us grow stronger with time. Pain is a harsh winter storm no one wants to be caught in, but sometimes it’s a storm we need in order to appreciate the sun.

Pain can affect us in so many ways. But like that glass, we are strong and capable enough to remain firm with pieces of us gone. We don’t have to let it shatter us. We don’t have to let pain control whether we stand or fall. Because this is our life. Pain is just a hole that can be replaced with the life just outside that barrier. All we have to do is stand firm.