V is for Victim by Tara Fox Hall

Welcome to Unwritten's part of the worldwide A-Z Blog Challenge!! Every day in April (except Sundays), we'll have a new post related to the letters of the alphabet from A-Z. Our theme here on Unwritten is "I Will Survive". I hope these stories will inspire and uplift you. Comments are VERY appreciated!

V is for Victim

by

Tara Fox Hall

I have been a victim. Credit card theft, bullying, stalking, low self esteem, jealousy, dysfunctional family dynamics, even anxiety and extreme fear of social situations. But this post is not about me. It’s about everyone, because everyone in his or her lives at one time or another is a victim.

None of us set out to be victims. As children, we are born with a terrific kind of innocent yet unbridled sense of power. We can do anything at 5 years old: be a ballerina, a fireman, a police officer, an artist, a football star, even a famous supermodel. Our sense of personal limitations knows no bounds.  We are going to do GREAT THINGS not only in the future, but this very day. Then sometime early in grade school, we discover that we really CAN’T do everything we think we can. If we’re well adjusted, we simply keep trying until we find something we excel at, and take pride in that ability. If we aren’t—like moi—our once carefree spirits sink like a lead balloon, and we need some therapy and training to become well adjusted enough to cope, then to thrive.

Life isn’t kind; it’s a hard journey. The old adage that anything worth getting is pretty damn hard to get is very true. There have been stories all month on this AWESOME blog called Unwritten¾Props, Mysti! J¾about overcoming various forms of adversity, be they disease, bad family situations, mental health, or environmental factors from Internet trolls to bad luck to financial hardship.  All these wonderful people at one time or another were victims; these are their stories of fighting back, of slaying the dragon after a long and arduous battle, and standing atop its corpse, triumphant against the background of the setting sun. Everyone reading this probably has a favorite tale from their own personal experience about overcoming their own personal monster, if not horde of monsters. Sometimes the evil energies that beset us seem to attack one after another, with no respite. But fighting them off is just the beginning, because those battles we wage change us, even if we win. Deep down inside, part of us remains the victim, even standing atop that stinking corpse.

Some would argue that what we carry away from a battle is a good thing. It reminds us that we can face adversity and win. Others would say that there is an epilogue to the battle, which involves a process of letting go of all of it, so we can move on with our lives not hauling any emotional baggage.  I’m not going to argue for either of those points. Whichever works for you¾maybe a mixture of both¾is likely the best path.   My Sandman author Neil Gaiman said so eloquently in one of his collections, “It is sometimes a mistake to climb. It is always a mistake never even to make the attempt <because you are afraid of falling>.”  Bette Midler said it even better in her song, The Rose, an ode to those living in past pain, that they might not close themselves off to new joys: only “two cents” is to not let the residue of fear that remains behind inhibit in a negative way.  As

It's the heart afraid of breaking

That never learns to dance.

It's the dream afraid of waking

That never takes the chance.

It's the one who won't be taken,

Who cannot seem to give,

And the soul afraid of dyin'

That never learns to live.

The Rose on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzTn237YvWo

It’s very easy, coming off a bender of battles, to close yourself off and decide its much safer not to take chances on people or new situations. It’s very easy to give up on love, when your heart is badly broken. Fresh wounds lead to a hunkering-down-safe-mode by way of rationality. It’s a healthy response to learned fear. Just don’t stay there, once the danger is passed.  Life is a journey that should be enjoyed, not just survived. Live each day as if this is all there is. And never forget you are capable of GREAT THINGS.

****

Tara Fox Hall’s writing credits include nonfiction, horror, suspense, action-adventure, erotica, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. She is the author of the paranormal fantasy Lash series and the paranormal romantic drama Promise Me series. Tara divides her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TaraFH

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tara-fox-hall

Melange Books: http://www.melange-books.com/authors/tarafoxhall/index.html

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286654.Tara_Fox_Hall       

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tara-Fox-Hall/e/B005YPAA4W/

Website: www.tarafoxhall.com

Email: tarafoxhallATgmail.com

Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286654.Tara_Fox_Hall/blog

Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Fox-Hall/151813374904903

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TerrorFoxHall