'All Happy Families Are Alike; Each Unhappy Family Is Unhappy in Its Own Way'
A true tale about a caterpillar that eventually turned into the most beautiful butterfly
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I’ve come across thousands of quotes in my life, maybe even millions, but Maya Angelou’s "one isn’t necessarily born with courage, but potential" has stuck with me through even the hardest of times. Literature has always acted as my escape. I find myself constantly searching for a character or a specific plot line to relate to what I am also going through, and if this turns out to be a bad situation, I like to think that I’m never suffering alone. However, there are also particularly strong women in my current, non-fictional life that is by far superior to any fictional world.
Reading as an escape all started when I was sixteen. Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved reading, but when times started to become tough, it became like my best friend as it was always going to be there when I needed it the most. Through the ages of 16-18, a dark shadow was cast over a specific mother and daughter. They lived in constant fear of the being's manipulative ways, and in particular, this daughter witnessed the creature tear down one of the most beautiful souls I have known. I used to shut myself away and engulf myself in the darkest of tales ranging from Edgar Allan’s Poe’s messed up mind or ride the sad train of Anna Karenina. Leo Tolstoy’s work in particular helped me to relate and understand the trauma that this specific family was going through; the ending of the novel in particular taught me that one mustn’t live for just yourself, but to also live for those around you. From this I deeply understood why I have always believed this daughter and mother to be two of the strongest women around.
After this particular violent and dark figure had broken down such a beautiful family, specifically the woman's pure soul both physically and emotionally, they then proceeded to leave her with nothing. However, after weeks of humiliation and feeling like she couldn’t go on, she showed me how brave she really was and still is today, which has only made me both admire and adore her more. In moments that one does feel completely powerless, I believe that it is only yourself that believes you to feel small, because in my eyes this particular women was my biggest inspiration: Not only was she able to rebuild herself and years of constant abuse but, she also single-handily created a fresh new life for herself and her daughter that was solely filled with happiness and laughter.
Now I want to revisit the quote that I referred to at the beginning of this piece. The woman whom I have told the tale of is a living example of someone who was born with tremendous amounts of potential and bravery. She truly is the most confident, clever and kindest person to walk this earth, and not only did she have the potential to change her situation, she also had the drive to do so. Alongside Angelou’s powerful message, I also admire Oprah Winfrey’s wise words: "There is no greater gift… than to honour your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive," as I can relate this to myself. Although I used to see my calling as investing all of my time into studying and analysing literature, I now believe it to be striving to become at least half of the woman that I have the pleasure to grow up with.
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