I have had this thought in my head for some time now and I really feel like sharing it because I can’t stop thinking about it…. the concept of growing pains. And, how this is true in every aspect of life.
So, my husband and I have been on a Marvel kick recently. Last December, we started watching all of the Marvel movies and the new shows on Disney+.
I can’t believe how much I have cried and how connected I have grown with some of the characters….
But this post is specifically about Wanda. So, if you have not watched Wanda Vision yet (and if you plan on watching it), then stop here. I don’t want to spoil it for you.
But if you don’t think you will ever watch it, or, if you have already finished watching, then keep reading.
At the end of the season, when Wanda is essentially at a crossroads between either;
- Staying in Westview, in her perfect neighborhood with her perfect family;
- Or, doing the right thing and letting those people free….
For a few hot moments, you are not sure what she is going to pick. You can clearly see and feel how badly she wants to have her family. She has had everything and everyone she loves repeatedly taken away from her throughout her life….
But that got me thinking. I don’t think I would have even hesitated to pick the latter.
Why?
Because living in a world where everything is absolutely perfect, without pain, would mean we are never challenged. We would never grow and transform. And, we would never break through the painful growing stages of whatever it is we are growing and moving into.
For as much as I hate the pain, as much as it is uncomfortable, scary, unknown, and sometimes devastating… there is usually something so much greater that is coming from it.
When I was at the crossroads of my eating disorder, of deciding to continue the path of restricted eating, of starving myself, of living a life always numb to emotions… Or… of figuring out what it meant to heal and get my life back…… The path I chose, the path to healing was a freaking decade long. And at times, that path hurt more than what I was previously doing and experiencing.
But, eventually, I came out the other side. Eventually, all of that time and all of that pain, that entire experience, was 100% worth what I got out of it and what I grew into.
Which was, healing, not just of signs and symptoms, but of the emotional and mental game that comes with an eating disorder
So, while a perfect life with no pain seems ideal, when you stop and think about it. There is really no growth in that, no life experience, no resiliency or grit built.
You may not grow into the person you are supposed to be, or who you want to be. You may not ever experience whatever it is you want to experience in life, never marking things off of your bucket list. Perhaps you may not get that raise or promotion you want and deserve. Or, maybe you never start the business of your dreams, meet the partner of your dreams, or start your own family.
On the other side of pain is something potentially amazing and something to be learned.
You can’t have growth without pain. Even physically, as kids, it is literally called growing pains.
Invitation
I invite you to lean into pain and, although it can be terrible, heart breaking, and devastating; be with the pain and see what it is you may learn from it.
Start to become curious as to what is on the other side of it.
Feel free to leave a comment or message me at [email protected]
