It Takes a Village

 We heard the saying growing up, and then again when we had our own children, "It takes a village." This  African proverb means an entire community of people must interact with those children for them to grow in a safe and healthy environment. The community you surround your children with from a young age will impact them for many years.

What I was not told however, was the saying can work in trauma as well. "It takes a village" to help push you, encourage you, get you from drowning to having a life ring thrown at you full force that it wraps around you and refuses to let you even consider sinking. This is the village you need. The village that won't let you sink no matter how hard the current is pushing against you and how much you say you are too exhausted to keep treading these waters.

Your village does not have to be exclusively family and friends, it can be healthcare workers, counselors, whoever is there to help you in your time. If you do not have anyone, I encourage you to start with finding a general practitioner and a counselor.  

Your village can do so much for you, they will help push you to the island, but ultimately you are the one that has to stand up and walk out of the water. They all know it too. They can tell you that you are worthy of love, that you are enough, that you did not deserve the things that happened to you or that continue to happen to you, but you need to believe this. Going through trauma can make you question so many things about yourself, and validating your own self worth seems so far beyond you in the thick of it. 

Know when you get there though, to that point of knowing your worth, of healing, of standing up out of the water, your village is still there cheering you on. They are proud of you, and they will tell you so. Know that trauma sometimes comes with setbacks and that is also okay, but you have surrounded yourself with this community, specially picked, to build you up not tear you down during those times.

I am lucky to say I have a village. I have a community of people that want me to grow in a safe and healthy environment. How beautiful is that?

Thank you, you all know who you are.

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