Kenzie

My life changed about 3 years ago. I had the best friends, a steady plan for my life, and a great boyfriend. I was three weeks out of hip surgery at the time and I thought 2020 was already off to a better start than previous years.

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One March night, the world shut down due to COVID. My boyfriend worked at a restaurant so this was his stressor. After fighting with his roommate for a while, he decided it was my turn. He abused me - physically and emotionally.

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Certain parts are burned into my memory, but others are a blur. My best friends came to get me out of there. We went home with nothing to look forward to..we had no jobs to return to, no school, and even errands were temporarily halted. I had no choice but to face what happened head-on and without a buffer. It was messy, beautiful, heartbreaking, and one of the most life-changing things I’ve experienced.

 

My anger got the best of me for a while - I lashed out at anyone that would come near me. I was in a constant state of fight-or-flight and it seemed the only way I knew how to interact with people was with anger. Then, I started seeing professionals. Slowly but surely, I was healing from something I thought would always be an open wound.

 

By experiencing that kind of abuse, and having the wonderful support system I did, I became a more empathetic person, a more loving person. I realized the importance of showing up for others and loving everybody as best you can. My support system continually showed up for me and loved me, even when it was less than deserved. I’ve fallen completely in love with all aspects of my life when I thought I would never be vulnerable again.