You lose your filter and become brutally honest, and ironically equally skilled at suppressing the most pressing thoughts and emotions.
You dare and do and dance. Wildly. Irreversibly. Unmistakably. Beautifully. Unapologetically.
You have died and been raised from the dead so to speak. Life is too precious to be boxed in. Your child died, and you swore with their last breath you’d live life full enough for the both of you.
You were once the reminder that their own babies could die. You are now a dare to live life a little more deeply.
You think about things like jumping out of planes and getting a tattoo. And other things you would have NEVER done or contemplated in another lifetime.
This isn’t a dress rehearsal, this is life. And from now until you take your last breath, you will watch others taking life for granted and while you contemplate shaking them out of shallow living, you realize that could have been you had it not been for the high price you’ve been asked to pay, so you sprinkle a dose of grace. And that surge of anger melts away a little more each time. So you press on, moving toward peace and purpose.
Maybe you’re not the shadow you have grown so accustomed to being.
Consider that people are just as afraid of those living on the edge of life as they are of those walking in deep pain.
You will always be a scary specimen. A marvel. A wonder. A testament.
You make people feel in an emotionally withdrawn society.
You were once the reminder that their own babies could die. You are now a dare to live life a little more deeply.
Franchesca Cox is the founder and Editor of Still Standing Magazine. She is currently seeking her Master’s in Occupational Therapy, a yogi and author of Celebrating Pregnancy Again and Facets of Grief, a creative workbook for grieving mothers. You can also follow Facets of Grief on Instagram.
