Looking at the Path to Self Discovery

After every failure or mistake
Before the triumphal parade
Chancing the possible heartache
Despite being dismayed
Efforts will be rewarded
For those who understand self
Good works will be recorded
Honors for knowing thyself
In all good time we discover
Just how strong we can become
Know from all hurts you recover
Learn what you can overcome
Many turnings and falls
No cowards need apply
Onward despite blocking walls
Patiently barricades defy
Quietly the soul is revealed
Recognizing inner worth
Spirit and truth not concealed
Truly a psyche’s rebirth
Undaunted by self actualization
Victorious you wear your crown
Walk proud without a translation
X-linked fashion diva about town
You don’t require outside affirmation
Zones of uncertainty struck down!

For the End of Summer scavenger hunt I used prompt #12 – Write an abecedarian poem about the path to self-discovery.

I suppose I was lucky. I was gifted with a strong sense of self that my parents nurtured. I experienced some bullying, exclusion, and some peer pressure but I always went my own way. That resulted in having an eclectic group of friends both in high school and college. It seemed that I collected the outcasts and the oddballs. And we had more fun than anyone could imagine! It was in the safety of those friends that we were allowed to develop our own sense of style, our literary tastes, and explore our talents. Once I was on my own, I discovered that I liked my own company. I saw a fair number of people who were willing to settle for unhappy relationship simply to avoid being alone. I had some failures and yet they were not complete failures because I learned something about myself, my abilities and my weaknesses. I became self reliant out of necessity. I could cook, clean, repair toilets, revive worn out furniture, refinish woodwork, and improvise solutions to problems that would send many into the arms of debt. My self confidence soared with each little triumph. It was that confidence that made it possible to succeed in my career, my marriage, and now in retirement! I’m happy with who I am and who I’ve become. What about you?