Rubber-band ball
There were moments, in the toughest times of my life, when I felt like I was trapped at the center of a rubber-band ball.
Each year wrapped itself around the last.
Some days, I enjoyed the shelter and the solace. The layers protected me.
Other days, it was suffocating. The bands were tight. I wanted to snap free.
I was trapped by my own feelings.
Circumstances, responsibilities, and people added to the layers.
No one knew I who I was. No one knew my predicament.
Years passed me by.
When I started to see the names of the bands from the inside – bitterness, un-forgiveness, hate, anger, self worth, intimidation, and humiliation – I realized that I controlled them.
One by one, I overcame them.
As I forgave, they snapped off.
When I chose to live in freedom, they wore thin.
When I no longer cared what the world thought of me, they expanded.
Bursting from the center of the rubber-band ball, I emerged.
Overcoming Obstacles 