Sometimes the people we thought had our “backs”…don’t.
To go one step further, sometimes the people we thought had our backs try to derail us.
To go one LEAP further, sometimes the people we thought had our backs go out of their way to bully/shame us.
Someone I thought was close to me told others that I was “white trash”. WOW.
Yes, I was married young (to my very first boyfriend!) and had a child at a young age. Because of decisions I made when I was young, my dreams of being a veterinarian never came true.
Did I take a harder road? Oh yes.
Did I have struggles? YES, there times that I had to search the couch cushions or take in recycled bottles for money to feed us.
Did I work at Dairy Queen AND as a motel maid to make ends meet? YEP.
I also had to try twice as hard to prove myself because I was young and had a child. I had to work harder up through the ranks WHILE caring for a child.
These experiences made me who I am! They also made me strong. They made me more compassionate! They made me more empathetic! They made me, ME.
I will admit that it stung a bit when I heard what this shamer said about me.
I came to a realization though. It hurt me so much because it was something that I was insecure about. My own thoughts were causing me pain. Deep down, I had always been worried that people would think less of me because of my choices and there it was staring me in the face. I had to come to terms with my own judgement of MYSELF.
And you know what? I do not regret the choices I made. I have a wonderful son whom I am very proud of and he is a joy of my life! I would not go back and do one thing differently even if I could.
I can ether choose to let it hurt me, dwell on it, let it shake my confidence OR I can choose to brush it off. I hope he’s reading this today so that he knows, I am brushing it off.