How “Yet” Transforms Fear into Hope
There is power in using the word “yet” when faced with what look like impossible obstacles to the life we desire. “Yet” transforms fear into hope. It defuses the fear and despair that rise in life’s uncertain and challenging times. Adding “yet” to the end of each I don’t know, I can’t, or even I don’t want to, keeps our minds and hearts open to the future. Believing that the light we crave is there, waiting beyond the storm, is critical. We just can’t see it yet.
Navigating the Storms
Working through trauma is like navigating a ravaging storm on the ocean. The sky seems endlessly darkened; thick clouds hide the much-needed guiding stars. Staying the course seems impossible.
During a ravaging storm in my own life, I remember falling apart. It was two years since the first memories of childhood trauma. Two years of riding never-ending waves. I was tired. Tired of the ride; tired of the fight for normalcy. Old sensations of being alone and powerless shrunk my adult self back into a broken child.
Wrapping my arms around myself I rocked and cried. How do I put the pieces back together? Rocking in a sea of the jagged pieces that once were me. The words, “I don’t know what to do,” echoed through my mind over and over.
The weeks that followed found me looking for lost strength in a behavioral health unit of a local hospital. I simply did not know how to move forward and felt lost in a tumultuous sea of emotion. The ship I built was breaking. Drowning seemed inevitable.
But I didn’t drown.
What I learned is that when the clouds are darkest isn’t the time to determine if the destination is worth the journey. In my darkest moments I was unable to see how I could possibly move forward. The rage of the storm was too intense. But in time, the answers came, and my strength restored. It wasn’t that the needed guidance and strength weren’t there, I just couldn’t see them—yet.
Power in the Word “Yet”
Often, when we have suffered at the hands of others, fear can cloud our vision of the journey ahead. What we thought would be an exhilarating ocean voyage becomes a treacherous struggle with elements we cannot control. We lose trust in ourselves and others. Fear shuts the doors of our progress. It closes us to the light waiting just beyond the storms. Fear feeds the storm. We can get lost in the I don’t knows and the I can’ts.
Yet is the antidote of fear. I don’t know yet, keeps the door open to answers and help. I can’t yet, helps plant the seeds of a better self image. I don’t want to yet, keeps us from succumbing to the storms. While in the moment, we can’t see the answers or our ability to make it through. However, the word yet adds power to and awareness of our ability to move forward.
Using yet does not stop the storms from raging or the pain from hurting, but it can keep our minds open to strength to be gained, understanding found, and beauty to be enjoyed.
