What's her secret?!
I read Drew Barrymore's memoir Wildflower for the first time when I was in 8th grade. Reading the book, I was in awe of how much she had accomplished at such a young age. For starters, she became emancipated when she was 14 years old. I always talk about how I have six children because I am a mother to my parents and siblings. But unlike Drew Barrymore, I and other individuals who see ourselves as mother figures to our family members are still not legally declared adults. Yes, perhaps we had to grow up too soon, but in the eyes of the law, we are still children. I'm not quite sure why, but that fact astonished me!
Throughout her book, she discusses more of her life experiences and adventures while growing up and how she pretty much raised herself. For instance, she went to Africa to help build schools and eventually constructed her own school. While in Africa, she sponsored a child, whom she really connected with, who was diagnosed with AIDS. I could go on and on about everything she has done, or you could read the book yourself, which I highly recommend!!!
I loved the book so much that I ended up reading it twice! This year, in May 2022, I re-read Wildflower, except this time it was different. Don't get me wrong, it was just as good as the first time, but I read it from a different perspective this time. I could not possibly understand how her book was so positive and filled with so much love. On the other hand, my book was quite the opposite. While writing, I realized how much anger I had and was holding on to. Maybe it's because she was older when writing the book and therefore had already come to terms with what occurred in the past, while the whole point of writing my book was to overcome what happened.
Regardless of what the answer is, I am still baffled by how much of herself she was able to freely give and open to new experiences despite how she grew up. Trust me, I understand this is what life is about (to be further discussed in a future blog), but what was her secret, and how did she do it?
I suspect, and this might be the biggest reason, it's because I am not quite there yet. I just started my healing process. To give a better picture, it's like I'm a newborn just learning how to walk while Drew is a full adult. You can't compare the two. It doesn't make sense (yet, here I am doing it anyways).
You should never compare two people's journeys because you do not know when they started or how much a person is going through. You should never compare your progress to anyone else's because it's YOUR progress. Everyone's journeys are different. After coming to terms with that fact, I accepted, and I know that I have a few more years to go before I can truly consider myself fully whole and no longer broken. Writing my book, deep diving through my past, and re-experiencing everything that happened was the first step. I have a long way to go, and you're all coming along this journey with me!
So, how did Drew Barrymore do it?
I don't have the answer to that because there is no magic answer. There is no quick fix on how to become happy and let go of any anger or other emotion that's tying you down. But, I promise to keep you updated as I try to figure it out on my side.
I would love to hear your processes and where you are in your healing process today! Share it with the anD, the words community! Tag us in a tweet or comment down below!
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