An Imperfect Warrior - TRAUMA

Trauma is a brutally harsh reality of life. Human nature and society often conditions us to make excuses, set unneeded limitations and play the role of "Victim." Do we want to be "Warriors" or "Victims?" The choice is ours to make. Will we allow life circumstances or other people to define our lives for us, or will we choose to do this for ourselves? We cannot change the events that occur in our lives, or control what other people do, but we can change our interpretations. We have the choice of what we focus on. In general, we are taught to keep our emotions and struggles to ourselves. As a result, we can often feel alone in the world when, in reality, every one of us shares the same general fears, doubts, insecurities and concerns. Life is hard, this is a fact. No one gets a free ride. From the richest of the rich, right down to the homeless person, panhandling and sleeping on the streets. Illness, addiction, tragedy, death, cruelty, self-loathing, depression, loneliness, heartache, these are human experiences regardless of one's perceived "status" in this world. It is up to each individual, however, to choose how to process these traumas. We can choose to wallow in them and allow them to define us. We can hide from them behind a bottle, denial, drugs, tobacco or food (pick your poison). We can ask self-defeating or answerless questions such as, "Why me?" We can complain that "Life is so unfair," or we can accept the simple fact that life isn't fair. It is essential to acknowledge, deal with, and ultimately transcend our experiences. Life is impermanent, meaning it can end at any time. That said, impermanence is also a great and freeing concept. It means that it is never too late to change yourself, to change your life, to change anything, as long as you are willing to try.-Summary-Stephen Wolf's story is one of rebirth. As a child he struggled with learning disabilities and couldn't read until he was in fourth grade. When he was twelve his Grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer and ended up taking his own life. As a teen Steve struggled with substance abuse and almost died at the age of fourteen. He was able to overcome these life challenges and put himself through college, while he worked, and raised a family with his wife Karen. This true story account begins with Steve at age thirty-five, married and father of three boys, caught in the day-to-day grind of life. Putting work and everyone else first, Steve started neglecting himself and next thing he knew he was two-hundred and ninety pounds and not truly enjoying life. His entire world then changed when he suddenly had a stroke one night while sleeping and found himself in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, for a week. Lucky to have survived death once again, Steve was given a new lease on life, but his fight through sickness continued. Follow Steve on his quest for strength, positivity and faith through adversity.