As soon as I saw this word for today’s post, there was only one line that popped into my head…

“Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk”
– Kelly Clarkson

And with this, only one moment that popped into my head. I was acquaintance raped my freshmen year of college.

I know I’m not alone, that over twenty years later, this event comes back just like that.

Because of this moment, these three hours of my life when I was young and innocent, the trajectory of my life changed. And it changed without my choice.

I guess that’s why it remains raw. This wound can scab over but it never fully heals, never fully turns into a scar.

And I wanted to use this space to also say I’m not defeated. Just like other traumas, it goes, I process and send it on its way.

These are two of the best songs that have ever expressed the emotion I feel around this. One was there for me at the time and sadly, the other just came out because twenty years later few things have changed.

Blessed be…

For October, I’m writing in conjunction with 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes and each post is written in five minutes flat.