Rising Into Life Again
There’s a moment, somewhere between breaking and rebuilding, when you realise survival isn’t enough anymore.
You’ve held on. You’ve done the hard work of piecing yourself back together. But now, something inside you whispers that there’s more to life than just getting through it.
For me, that moment came quietly.
Not with fireworks or a grand epiphany, but in a school hall, standing in front of children, talking about another child who would soon be returning to school after a burn injury.
I spoke to the children about my story, and then talked to them about the child who would be returning. I explained what that child had been through, what they might look like, and how best to welcome them back. I saw compassion flicker in young faces, curiosity softening into understanding. And somewhere in those conversations, something shifted in me.
I wasn’t just surviving my story anymore. I was sharing it. And through sharing, I was healing.
That experience led me to become a teacher, where I continued to tell my story to every new class, every new set of curious eyes. Each time I spoke, it hurt a little less. The words that once felt heavy began to lose their weight.
Telling my story again and again didn’t just desensitise me to the pain. It reconnected me to my strength.
Thriving doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It doesn’t mean you never wobble or wonder if you’re strong enough. It means you start to trust the ground beneath you again. You begin to see yourself not as someone who survived something, but as someone who is becoming something new.
Every time you choose hope over fear, joy over guilt, or connection over silence, you’re rewriting your story.
You’re giving yourself permission to grow beyond what broke you.
And here’s the beautiful part: thriving looks different for everyone.
For some, it’s starting a new project. For others, it’s saying no when you used to say yes. It might be laughter that doesn’t feel forced anymore, or the first time you look in the mirror and see strength staring back.
You don’t have to rush it. You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You just have to keep showing up for yourself, one brave, imperfect day at a time.
Here’s to the quiet victories. To the courage to try again. And to the incredible moment when you realise you’re not just surviving. You’re thriving.
Cheers,
Heather
