Steel

You don' t know how strong you truly are.

You don't know how strong you truly are until it's tested.

You don't know how strong you truly are until it's tested by the worst winds.

You don't know how strong you truly are until it's tested by the worst winds and you come out ok.

Repetition, though my least favorite form of poetic device, was necessary here. Even in the college bubble, I am constantly reminded that reality is not far from any of us. Reality...the worst kind of leech, the sneakiest predator. It's absolutely biting, how we can lose what we thought we had in the space of a moment. My inner strength is not something I have come by with luck or genetics, but rather by both consciously and unconsciously building it up. Strength doesn't happen upon us, you see, and many bend to pressure or change themselves when they could change their attitudes or situation, if they had the inner iron. My life...well, it's never been easy. I've been blessed in many ways, and in other ways, I've had a harder time than many on this earth. I am truly and deeply grateful for it all. I have had the life experience needed to form me into the person that I am, and when I see someone else struggling not because of outside forces but because of their own failure to be strong, I thank God that I have been shaped so sturdily at such a young age.

Life is hard. Even when I am at college and have joyful days almost every single day, I realize how difficult life is. The world does not stop so you may enjoy your happiness. Each battle, I grow stronger, though letting each piece overtake me often sounds appealing. And I want this uncommon strength to grow in its commonality. I guess we'll see.