Victim or Victor?

 

  I choose to be a victor. I've had my fair share of negative thing happen in my life, but I refuse to let them define me.  I embrace the hardships I've endured as they have shaped me into who I am today. It's easy to lament your life, but instead, I challenge you to look for the good in negative situations.

    Growing up, I thought everyone's home was dysfunctional. Then I met my Chris, who eventually became my husband.. He grew up in "Leave-It-to-Beaver" land, and let's just say I didn't. My childhood was filled with bad events, including the passing of my dad. Things didn't improve much in high school. Then I escaped to college. Suffice it to say, I could relate to the students in my school because I lived a life like them. I grew up in a negative environment that taught me a lot.

    One of my favorite sayings I told my students regularly was it didn't matter how they were reared. They could grow up in the most abusive environments, but they could choose to turn that negativity around, They had a choice as we all do.  We can choose to be a victim or a victor. I'm glad for my upbringing. It made me a stronger person and a more empathetic one. I know what physical and emotional abuse are. I know what it feels like to grow up unsure of your surroundings. I remember making a vow at a very young age. I was going to make it. I wasn't going to let my circumstances dictate my future. I wasn't going to feel sorry for myself or use my upbringing as an excuse for bad behavior.  

    Take a number. Stand in the long line of people who have endured things growing up. There will always be people who are worse off and better off than you. Look at your life, collectively, the good and the bad, and make a decision to be a victor. Use the negative to bring about positive. I connected with students because  I cared.  I understood and could relate to their lives. I knew, at times, school took a backseat to life and what they were experiencing.

    Despite all the garbage I dealt with as a kid, I am grateful for every single experience. I can relate to a whole segment of society that others can't. I chose to be a victor, and that decision has served me well.

    I continue to choose to be a victor over PD.  I was talking to a friend today, telling her the same thing.  I refuse to be a victim. There are lots of those people around. People who blame bad events for their current lifestyle. People who look at my life as a travesty. But I look at my life in terms of what I've learned and how I've grown. Even with Parkinson's. It's a decision I have to make daily.

    What about you? Are you a victim or a victor?