Sarah Bloomberg

 

Spring painting - by Helena Zyryanova

This is a tale of Sarah Bloomberg.

Sarah is a young lady hailing from the city of Altadena. 

She loves her family and friends alot but over the past few years, she has faced some challenges in loving herself.

One day, a dear friend of her, hoping to gain some insight, asked her - "Hey Sarah, do you love yourself?"

Here's what Sarah had to tell him,

"Oh Aden,

I don't know what loving yourself has ever meant truly.

I've been my worst critic so many times that it made me wonder, how do I feel about myself?

And to my sweet astonishment, I couldn't really feel any hatred.

No. It doesn't mean that I'm perfect, Aden.

There were times when I let myself down and then there were also these phases when my head felt so heavy from carrying the weight of unpleasant feelings that I just wanted to drown out all the internal screams and external noises and simply run away from everything and everyone, sometimes from my own self. 

But Aden, you know what? I didn't. I didn't run away.

Instead, I soaked in that noise and I'm no musician but I think I used that same noise to create a rhythm.

Something that kept my heart and my brain in sync.

Because despite every low that I've ever encountered, I have always known one thing for sure. 

That I only ever want the best for myself. I don't want to settle for anything less than I think I deserve in life. I don't like to belittle myself or demean my abilities in anyway.

I feel bad when I do.

I make mistakes but instead of holding grudges against myself, I try to forgive and learn.

I empathize with myself when I fall. That's why I'm the one who picks myself up every single time.

So I think as long as I still want my soul to bloom, my mind to grow and my body to stay healthy, I can say that is how you love yourself. 

You stop wanting to heal and evolve when you've given up on yourself.

But as long as you are a work in progress, there is some love."

This was the moment when Sarah had an epiphany.

She realised, all her struggles that once pulled her down had led her to reach this disposition.

She felt a sense of courage in the mere uncertainty of what more challenges her future holds.

Because, she still knew one thing for sure, i.e., she loved herself enough to always persevere.

Be like Sarah.

- by Aayushi Singh