What Empowers Me? TribeSteemUp BiWeekly Question

I had a very interesting conversation with a friend of mine last night, we stayed up way too late talking about the way in which we each choose to react to stressful situations in life. I can honestly say, that I have had quite a lot of drama enter my life in the last year.

I have had numerous things happen recently, where I could have easily justified, just throwing my hands up in the air and walking away. Of saying enough is enough and burying my head in the sand. Yes I have felt completely overwhelmed and over stretched of late. But I know that I can get through all of this, I know that all of those moments pass and I do what I have always done, I just carry on.

My friend then asked me how my childhood was, if i came from a happy and loving home. Because to him it sounded like I had very strong foundations in place, from very early on in my life.

But the thing is, I didn't have a happy childhood. I never really felt wanted or loved when I was a child. In fact during my early years I grew up in a violent home. So how to explain where this strength came from, this strong faith that I have in myself, knowing that I can and will manage with what life brings to me. This optimistic view, that everything will be okay.

That was quiet easy for me to answer, because during all those years I still had a very stable environment that I could go to, a place where I felt nurtured and safe.Where was it?

Nature! I literally spend hours everyday, outside roaming the countryside, climbing trees and hiding in the grass. I felt so happy and free there, I felt whole. No matter what was going on in my family home, I knew I just had to go outside, to one of my favorite spots and there I felt secure.

I could be who I was, there was no need to be quiet and submissive, outside I could speak loudly and sing, sing to my hearts content. I could fully express who I was without any fear, any ridicule. I went into nature drained and sometimes scared, but I always came away feeling recharged and anew. I felt so connected with nature, I felt so at ease and at one with all the plant and animal kingdom and that is something that I have carried with me everyday of my life.

That connection stands as strong today, as it did when I was a little girl. And along with it, my confidence has growth, so that now the strength that I drew from nature, I now know that I can draw from myself. Because I am as much a part of nature, as it is of me.

I know that everything happens in cycles, that everything changes all the time and I embrace that part of my life. I embrace the many parts of me that brought me pain and sorrow, that challenged me and forced me to make choices that I stand by. I embrace the good, the bad and the ugly, because every part makes me who I am. Yet who I am is transforming and growing all the time.

I trust in the natural flow of life, in the flow of energy that we exchange with one another and all living things. I let myself feel and experience and yes it is difficult and so damn hard at times, but I know that just as all that came into my life, it will leave, as long as I allow it too. There is no need to hold on, instead we need to acknowledge and embrace, to honor and be present with what is happening in our lives.

I draw my power from within and also from the many things that I do that help me express who I am, that feed into my creative force. I am empowered because of the way I live my life, a life where I am constantly trying to live in harmony with the earth. I am empowered because of all that my ancestors have done, so that I can have the life that I have now. I am empowered because I listen to myself and allow myself to be guided by my own hand. I am empowered because I have taken responsibility for my life, my health, for my actions.

What empowers you ?

This post is in response to the TribeSteemUp BiWeekly Question, which is open to everyone to answer. Make sure to check out some of the other responses which you will find under the tribesteemup tag. By coming together and engaging with one another we can share our wisdom, our knowledge and help to empower one another.