Friday, January 14, 2011

I'm Better For It Friday...Kate's Story

HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!

Today, the lovely Kate has courageously
stepped forward to share her story with us.
(and wow!  is it inspiring!!!)

Thank you Kate...
Her Story, Her Words,
Her "I'm Better For It."

How Did I Get Here...?  
Stop...Rewind.

Forever 27
[A story of new life]
27 years go by
Allowing layer after defining layer 
to creep in and solidify...
I AM :
"A taurus", "mid-twenty-something", "a nurse", "independent" and  "self-sufficient", "hard working” “dependable", "healthy", "organized" and “very, very busy”.
[All serving a very specific purpose in their own limiting way]
Daily rhythms, marching to the background beat of the sound track of a life, playing on loop in an empire that had taken 27 years to build. 
[Focused and unsuspecting in my safe, heavy trodden path]
Safe.   
Until Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 5pm. I AM ‘blind-sided’ at the driver’s side door.  
Inattentive to life in the present, I positioned myself perfectly as the bulls-eye.
[A-ha! The one thing I couldn't have planned for...
For an instant soul ripped from body, quickly reconsidered
and stuffed back in again. 
‘I’ wriggled  free from the wreckage of air bags, crumpled aluminum, 
and all definition of life as I had known it.
A few blows to the (left side) of a 'hard head'
later to be diagnosed as a traumatic brain injury, 
suppressing reason, thoughts, language, learning and memory…
["Cracked openwould be, to state it quite accurately]


cracked open, yet preserved
held together by a nervous system of  frayed live wires
Jolts like electric shocks shake me... "wake up", "wake up"
As a daily reminder: it's time to rise up, time to move higher
  Days passed by, turned to weeks and then months. 
the old 'me' slips away as new versions take it’s once established place.
I have become the silent witness of the buzz that I too had known as life,
as it marches on by, day by day, without skipping a beat. 
[As it turns out, life does go on: whether you meet your deadlines or not…]

Stripped of all previous definitions of ‘myself’, 
I am left in the quiet, to sit (and get friendly) with myself, emptiness, loneliness & space.
S  p  a  c  e
What is left when you’re shaken free of all that you've grasped to fill yourself up,
[trying to avoid]
The answers that come from the inside.
whispers...[You know what to do]
 "Let go of fear. Do what you love. Be You"

Some people say "I'm sorry that this has happened to you",
However, I believe they will eventually see 
"how fortunate for you".
A second chance, with a clearer view. 
An entire lifetime given to payback the world with my gratitude.
A Life lived to it’s ‘fullest’, has been ended,
To make room for a new life that was always intended.

Although the path is not always clear, 
the answers have been present for 
as long as I can remember.  
(Literally) Stumbling and Stuttering 
through the next steps, or how to even begin, 
I decided to make one simple commitment to myself,  
that is to reconnect and to share.  
That commitment has become become 
my journal (blog) and artwork. 


Although I currently spend my time healing... 
full time, I know that I am and 
will always be 'better for it', 
as it is in our darkest hours 
that we find our greatest strengths.

My life from this point will be lived 
with the hope and intention that 
through my actions, art, and practices 
others too will connect with 
their own inner guiding light, 
no matter how buried it may be.

Thank you for letting me share.
om shanti om
(peace)


Kate is an artist and yogini living in
central new york.  
You can go visit her HERE
and share with her what her story has 
meant to you.

it takes guts to share these stories 
and i cannot say how appreciative
i am to those of you that do.

i feel every step we take in dealing
we are aiding in our healing.

"we have to deal in order to heal"  
                               - me

THANK YOU!
ox
kolleen

10 comments:

  1. Wow. so beautifully written. such a powerful story and reminder of how precious our lives truly are.
    Thank you for sharing Kate and of course, to you Miss K for providing a place for these stories to be heard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. kolleen...i am loving your "i am better for it"
    series. it makes me smile and the gift of others
    stories is a blessing.

    om . shanti . om.

    love to you and kate

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved the style of her writing! She really "painted a picture" of her story. And what a powerful story it is! Beautiful reminder for us all to remember how temporary life as we know it really is and ask ourselves if the life we are currently living is what we truly want! OR are we on autopilot...going thru the motions..but not really creating the experience our hearts truly desire?!
    What an amazing and open heart she has to be able to let this kind of thing affect her so positively! Thank you Kate for your story!
    Kolleen-you know I think you're incredible ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. i adore kate!
    cracked open
    & into the light
    & deeper & deeper
    into the bones
    of WHO SHE IS.
    it is in this marrow
    that i send her
    lovelovelove.
    & thanks for her
    very life.
    xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW..what a woman...to have her Life taken and to be given another...all in the space of seconds...it lets us remember the importance of NOW...
    HUGS and thanks for passing by Kolleen, sorry it's been a while!
    Char.x

    ReplyDelete
  6. What wonderful stories of strength each Friday. Such a reminder to take each day as a gift & to be thankful. Thank you for sharing these! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kate's story speaks of wisdom. And I hope she'll continue to gain strength (physically, spiritually and emotionally) as she heals.

    ReplyDelete
  8. WOW! I am sitting here feeling connected to truth again. What a reminder! It seams that for some of us lucky ones, that if we are having trouble finding our TRUE path, then our TRUE path comes and finds us. I think we are the fortunate ones. God bless you Kate-what a wonderful story!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, what a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing, Kate. I recently moved from Syracuse to Rochester and just wanted to say from one NY lady to another: rock on!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Many thanks to you Kolleen for giving me a place to share, and to those of you who took the time to read or leave a note. Your kind words are so supportive and moving.

    Love, peace, & radiance to all of you

    <3

    ReplyDelete

i heart love notes....