by Michele Young-Stone, author of THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS and the forthcoming, ABOVE US ONLY SKY, Simon & Schuster, early 2015.
My dad used to drink beer and piss in the driveway. My elementary school friends used to laugh and
make fun of me. My dad never said my name without saying, "God damn it," first, as a preface, like it was part of my name. He took a belt to me and my sister when he felt it was warranted. When I got breasts, my dad was disappointed and stopped spending time with me. I was supposed to be a boy. I was supposed to be called Eric.
I was too sensitive...
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
I often think that if it weren't for my dad, I wouldn't understand the world or myself or people as well as I do. I'm grateful for my father. I'm grateful for the drama I've survived.
I won't ever express in words all the chaos I've endured. I write fiction. But I know the chaos. I know the damaged people. I'm one of them. That's how I'm able to tell stories.
I always tell people, "At a young age, I was written off as a future homeless/bag lady." Nah! Never listen to anyone who tells you what you're supposed to be--who puts you down. I'm a writer. I'm a novelist. I'm a mother, a wife, and a woman always striving to do the best I can.
Pursue what you love. Find your cheese. Eat your cake. Live your life the best way you know how. Be happy!
Love.
This is my website. www.micheleyoung-stone.com
I, too, am grateful for the drama I survived and grateful for having survived it! Now I can choose to write my way out of it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for commenting Christa. I totally agree. I need my words and stories so that I can write my way to understanding my life and finding peace. These days, I prefer drama reserved for my characters. They're real troopers!
ReplyDeleteMichele,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're able to find it all a great learning experience. Must have been tough as hell. Sounds like it created lots of mettle in you, and an inverse pouring out of love to others. You go!
Thanks, Sheila. It's funny. I had written three blog posts for today and didn't like any of them. And then, I wanted to write this: needed to write this post.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Glad you didn't listen to the naysayers! Love you and love your work. xo
ReplyDeleteAgain and again I find myself thinking of Disney's quote saying "sometimes a kick in the teeth is the best thing for you." And Coach Yow advising that any time you get kicked, let it only kick you forward. Its never easy when the people who are supposed to be your family do nothing but bring you down while they "love you in their own messed up way." And naysayers aren't only overly critical, but they have lost the compassion and belief in man kind. This world is too small and life is too short for that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insightful dead-on comment! I love MEET THE ROBINSONS. I always think, "Keep moving forward." We don't have time to harbor negativity or live in an angry past. It's a waste of time and energy. Plus, the anger will kill you dead before a slice of cheesy pizza. Love you, Sinead!
ReplyDeleteParents create our foundations, perfectly smooth or cracked. The cracked ones look like they've already survived something, because they have! xo
ReplyDeleteJust want to say, catching up on GF posts, but this was a really nice piece of writing. I can definitely relate to it.
ReplyDeleteAlso I love the title of your new book and I'm looking forward to reading it.