Looking back to those days

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Looking back to those days

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Looking back on my life, there were prolonged periods when it felt like I was trapped in a valley of constant hardship and obstacles. During those weary seasons of struggle, it was incredibly difficult to envision the sunlit mountaintops or believe I had the resilience to scale them.

I struggled to summon the strength each day just to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Yet somehow, through small but steady steps, I persevered. And gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, things slowly improved. Reflecting now from a place of greater peace, it’s remarkable to see how far I’ve come since those darkest days when the way ahead was obscured.

When blows kept raining down relentlessly, it could become demoralizing. Facing such an accumulation of adversity tested the limits of my endurance. Sometimes in the mornings, just dragging myself out of bed felt like more effort than I could expend. The light within grew dim and wavered in those pounding storms. During my deepest valleys, hope itself felt like a distant country I’d never again inhabit. Those challenging periods dragged on interminably, far beyond what I thought I could bear.

I remember wondering if the battles would ever cease, if I would remain trapped in that storm forever. It was physically and mentally draining to keep soldiering on each day with no reprieve in sight. My body grew weary, my mind exhausted. I was running on spiritual fumes. At times, I pondered whether giving up altogether might hurt less than this relentless slog.
Yet even when progress felt imperceptible, there were small milestones that sustained me.

Completing one more day gave me fuel to face the next. Keeping a flicker of faith alive was its own tiny triumph. Though my steps forward felt miniscule, in time they stacked up and compounded. Gradually, almost unnoticeably, the path became a little less treacherous. The burden lifted by degrees.

Gazing back, I’m filled with admiration for the person I used to be, toiling through those seasons of hardship. I cannot comprehend how I summoned the resilience to press on when it seemed pointless, how I adapted approaches and unearthed solutions I never thought possible. I underestimated my own mettle. Each challenge only honed my fortitude for the next.

Now, with the gift of hindsight, I can see how beneath the surface that rocky terrain was transforming me. Though invisible amid the shrouded mist, my roots were reaching deep, my wings were strengthening. My spirit was honing the muscles and reflexes needed to whisk me up to higher heights. Those valleys of difficulty were secretly preparing me to soar.

It’s astonishing how you discover wellsprings of strength you never knew you possessed until tested by fiery trials. During the bleakest stretches when the path ahead seemed impossibly steep, I could not fathom I had it in me to scale such heights. But somehow I inched upward, finding handholds where I least expected.

The adversity I faced equipped me to endure the next challenge. Hardship can leave you jaded and bitter, or expanded and better. I’m grateful for the wise, weathered version of myself it shaped. My empathy for others' burdens grew tenfold.

I cannot truthfully say I would ever wish to rewalk the most arduous deserts. Yet the oases they led me to could never have quenched this sweetly otherwise. I emerged renewed with greater reverence for how miraculous it is simply to be alive. Beauty shone brighter, joy felt deeper for having known such darkness. My valleys gave depth and contour to the peaks.

All I can do is keep my eyes upward. The road behind me prepared each step I now take forward. Even when the path ahead obscures, I know valleys always give way to vistas if you just endure. With faith as my walking stick, I continue climbing skyward. The views become more glorious each day.

This is my response to Hiveghana prompt