Reflection – Being Strong

woman in body armor

This post begins back in time… when I had a different perspective and experience of life.

I don’t believe that I was emotionally bruised
And I definitely don’t need any help! 
As a child I put my armor on
I built it so carefully. And before you ask – yes, it still fits like a glove.
Its comfortable enough .. and more so in war zones.

You see, I am strong.
Nobody messes with me.
I can take it. It isn’t personal after all.
Others are just stupid. Idiots. They haven’t got a clue.
In my safe bullet proof coat I can judge and put down others in a familiar way.

And then one day I realized that it wasn’t my coat at all,
It was the coat of arms of my family.
And I could change it.
I could choose to let go of being strong.

I see people wearing similar coats .. and I want to help them shed them when they are ready.
Its okay to acknowledge the vulnerable part that hurts.
This takes courage rather than strength.
It is our choice to open our hearts to new possibilities.
It takes courage to be open and vulnerable.
After all, when we are vulnerable, the love can come in
❤️

35 responses to “Reflection – Being Strong”

  1. Oh yes!

    Absolutely beautiful.

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  2. So true Val. Great post. I have had those coats on too, it is nice to let them go and be free. 🙂

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    1. We don’t realize how heavy and burdensome they are until we are ready to let them go 😌

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  3. Beautiful piece, plus I really dig the warrior chic image….

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  4. Love this! I shed my coat long ago and it changed my life.

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    1. Thank you Carol .. and what a relief it is to live life fully!

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  5. Love it Val. ❤
    Diana xo

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Diana! xo

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  6. Beautiful reflection on how we can change our experience of life! I don’t think my coat would fit any more 🙂

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    1. (Smile) Thank you for this reflection Tiny. 💛

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  7. I had to shed some armor when we moved to Florida . . . it was stifling me!

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    1. (Smile) I expect it was Nancy! There’s no need when we find out place in life 🙂

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  8. Just love visiting this place for your words are so open, always. This reflection of yours gets to the heart of knowing others: first one must know oneself.

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    1. Thank you Paul for visiting and sharing from your heart. It takes one open book to recognize an other. 😎

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      1. Albeit a book with rather grubby pages and a tattered cover! 😉

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        1. I would call it well worn and well read 😉

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  9. Perfect Val, and it is odd how so many of we humans pretend to be superhuman. H ❤

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    1. Thank you Hariod. Pretending to be superhuman is like super glue holding the pieces together…

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    1. Thank you Julie! xo

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  10. I love this. And isn’t there a certain kind of strength in letting go? Being vulnerable? Just a thought. Kind of seems there is. Maybe a different kind of strength….but it seems so brave.

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    1. Thank you Colleen for this reflection. You might to visit an earlier post about strength and courage https://findyourmiddleground.com/2014/03/23/strength-and-courage-in-life/
      xo

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  11. So true. It takes courage to be open and vulnerable. Loved it.

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    1. Thank you Indira for your kind words.💛

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  12. Very true post about how to change ourselves Val 😀
    It is a choice, if we wish to live like our family are living or we are ready to stand at our own legs and use our own brain.

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    1. Well said Irene. 💛

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  13. I love the distinction between strength and courage you make here and in the poem. For a long time I though that my strength was a good thing, and in a sense it was. I’m now discovering courage as its valuable companion. And it turns out being courageous is way harder than “just” being strong.

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    1. Agreed. There are times where being strong is exactly what we need to overcome and survive.
      Being courageous is what we need to grow. Thank you for stopping by and joining in the conversation 💛

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  14. Hm, yes, this is an even better distinction: one for survival, the other one for growth. I’ll remember this. 💛

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  15. […] Apropos courage. This reminds me of two beautiful poems I recently read on Val Boyko’s blog Find your middle ground that I have been following pretty much since the day I have started blogging because it’s so uplifting and thoughtful. One poem is on the difference between strength and courage and the other one about shifting from one to the other. […]

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About Me

My name is Val Boyko, a dual citizen living near Philadelphia, originally from Scotland.

This blog came to life one morning in 2013.  I woke up with these words in my mind:  “Life is a series of highs and lows. Be grateful for the highs. Be graceful in the lows. And find contentment in your Middle Ground.”

Find Your Middle Ground blog started to explore, reflect, ask deep questions, share insights about awakening, and connect with wonderful people like yourself. Thank you for being here and being such an inspiration.