Damaged but not broken

​With respect, I’m borrowing a concept from Japanese culture. It’s called Kintsugi. It’s the art of mending pottery cracks with a mixture of lacquer and a precious metal – gold, silver or platinum. The piece’s unique history is celebrated by the addition of the repairs.
 
What a wonderful concept for anyone who feels broken. Not only can we be mended, but we are made more beautiful by embracing our wounds and recognizing them as a valuable part of who we are. They become the emotional equivalent of gold, silver or platinum.
 
Our wounds do not have to weaken us. They do not have to continue causing us pain long after the injury ended.
 
I ask you – what events in your past are still hurting you? Are you aware of choices you’ve made based on something that happened in your past, how much your life has been influenced by those events? Do you want that to continue or do you want to take back control?
 
If you could remove some of the power old wounds still have over you, would that be worth the possibility of more angst in the near future if it gives you more freedom later on?
 
Re-living painful moments may be the last you want to do, but what if you can find a way to see them differently?
 
You’ve already survived the ordeal. What I’m suggesting is that you look for some value that you haven’t noticed. What could you or did you learn from the experience? If you could make changes in your life for the better as a result of whatever hurt you or made you feel weak, wouldn’t that be valuable?
 
In other words, allow your emotional scars to show you how strong you are. Put them to work for you. Your painful experiences have played a role in shaping you. Use them as a springboard for re-shaping the elements of your life that they affected.
 
Decide that you can repair yourself and in doing that, you re-create who you are.