Owning My Scars Pt. 1

The process of learning that I am the ocean and not the waves.

None of us can live up to the perfection we expect from ourselves on a daily basis. Overtime, I have discovered that it is not the perfection that will satisfy me at night when I am laying in my bed and playing my day in my head hoping for some sense that I did it right. The pressure I felt to rise to the “perfect” expectations of people I love drove me down a path that didn’t strengthen my instincts or confidence in my ability to handle the challenges that seemed to pop up every few steps I took.

It’s in the hardness that I found my softness aka vulnerability as a human-being. So, instead of shying away from the parts of my existence that came with grief, sorrow, sadness, and despair I confronted them. Through this I discovered a deeper and meaningful connection to the complexities of my soul and the people around me. It made me more likely to show empathy and compassion to others who were trying to find a way through the hardness and into their own softness. The road for me was different yet similar to others who chose to walk down this path instead of ignore these experiences.

As a daughter of immigrants from Punjab, India I grew up with privileges that were given to me by parent’s relentless work. My mom in particular supported every activity and encouraged me to be a versatile…