Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie

There was a time when the only peace I could find was through loud music in my ears.

Music helped me breathe.

It gave me somewhere to go when my thoughts felt too loud.
It helped me escape the frustration I felt inside myself.

For a long time, I didn’t like who I was.

A lot of that came from living with a disability and focusing on what it wouldn’t let me do.

I saw the limits before I saw anything else.
I saw what felt hard.
I saw what made me different.
I saw the things I wished I could change.

And because of that, I didn’t feel peaceful within myself.

Music became my safe place.
It was where I could feel free for a little while.

And music will always be part of my life.
It has helped me through more than I can explain.

But I also realize now that sometimes I was using music to hide from myself.

I didn’t always want to sit with my thoughts.
I didn’t always want to face the way I felt about my body, my disability, or my life.

But growth has a way of gently asking you to stop running.

Over time, I began learning how to be with myself without needing to escape.

I learned how to listen to my thoughts without letting them control me.
I learned how to accept my body without only seeing what it struggles with.
I learned how to see myself as more than my disability.

And slowly, the peace I was looking for started coming from within me.

I still love music.
I always will.

But now, I don’t only need loud music to feel peace.

I can find peace in quiet moments.
In self-acceptance.
In knowing how far I’ve come.
In understanding that I am not broken.

I am growing.

And that is a beautiful kind of peace.

— Marie W.O.W.C.P.
Seeing the beauty between the challenges.