“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” -C.S. Lewis
This little nugget of hope was recently posted over at Nhan-Fiction, and it was a great reminder to come across at this point in my life. I’ve always been a fan of Lewis, though his philosophy on many things differs from my own. This, however, is something that I can’t help but agree with, and not just because I’ve encountered my fair share of hardships. Well, okay, the hardships of my past and present help me appreciate this quote for what it is, and it’s a great reminder when those hardships come around.
If I had the chance to go back and change anything about my life, I wouldn’t change a god damn thing. The wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey aspects of cause and effect aside, the person I am today is all because of the person I was in the past, and all the choices she made, whether they were good or bad, and all the things that happened to her, whether they were uplifting or tragic. Without the experiences of my past, I would not have the outlook I have on life today. There’s a possibility I might have grasped onto this full-time writing thing earlier; there’s a possibility I wouldn’t even have a book published right now if my life had kept on the course it was one before it went off the tracks. I can’t even express how many times I realize that the path I’m on right now just feels right. Now is the time. I would not have had the strength and conviction and self-awareness I have now if I tried to do this five years ago. My hardships are leading me, a pretty ordinary person (in most respects, haha!), on an extraordinary path, and I’m loving every minute of it.
Would it have been nice to have not gone through some of the craziness or tragedy that I’ve gone through? Sure. But would I be the same person I am now if I hadn’t? Probably not.
What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right?
L.S. Engler 
The apotheosis can leave you too drained to appreciate even a positive ending.
Couldn’t of said it better myself! š
There’s a little voice that says, “Oh, yes I can!” especially when someone else says I can’t. Persevere! Regardless of what has happened before, there is the now. I believe we can choose what we do. Even the smallest choices have ripples, unexpected at times. One word leads to the next; one story leads to the novel. Write on!
All experiences make us stronger after we get through them š
Damn straight!!
That’s a great quote.
From a writing point of view it works really well too, we all have to put our MCs through hell so that they grow and change and become the person they were supposed to be.