Readers & Dreamers Series! Join Me in Welcoming Marinieves Cordero-Guzman to my blog with "Heartwarming Thoughts"!

As authors, we spend time interacting with our readers through brief comments on social media, but we rarely have a chance to hear full and complete thoughts, cares, and opinions. So, I have opened my blog up to those who we cherish, but so rarely have a chance to hear from: non-authors. Please join me in welcoming Marinieves Cordero-Guzman to my blog today with her heartwarming thoughts.

What started with a Personal Message on Facebook to one of my favorite authors and human beings changed to a conversation and ended in an invitation to write a post on his blog... and here it is. That post!

For many years I kept a secret, and when I found myself out of a job and forced, in a sense, to stay at home…it all came out. I’d been coping and holding it in all my life and the loss of my job brought it to a head. When I was younger, I experienced trauma that I kept silent about. It led to a downward spiral and I made many mistakes and nearly lost myself. I kept moving through life, but not moving forward. And then I found myself with no job, no prospects for self-actualization, and… wow! I realized I needed help.

 

And so it began—my search for help.

I began with a conversation with my husband. He is extremely loving and supportive and knows me better than most, and in that moment I said to him, “I need help.” I had been battling depression and anxiety all my life but I hadn’t come to terms with that battle. I hadn’t realized it, recognized it, and known I had to do something about it. I hadn’t owned it.

My husband said, “If you need help, please try to find it. I don’t want to lose you.” With the help of Cody, many conversations, and research, I found a good place and began attending weekly meetings at a center that help me tremendously. My other source of help…books!

During that year and a half, I read almost 600 books and listened to music while reading. During that time, I felt at peace; a peace that I can only describe as dedicating myself to becoming me. One of the things that trauma does is stop your development in its tracks and until you can find peace, time to discover who and what you are, you can’t grow. And I desperately wanted to grow beyond the trauma that I experienced.

Many of the books I read helped me understand that I wasn’t alone in my pain and anxiety, that out there were people like me, and I needed to keep fighting for me. Fighting for the rights of others also helped me in becoming myself. Becoming a fighter for others allowed me to see me from the outside looking in. And I realized...

Not all who wander are lost.

If you are struggling to overcome depression and anxiety, whether or not caused by trauma, allow yourself to wander. Allow yourself the time to discover yourself.

After all this time, I must confess, some days I still have to tell myself get out of bed, I am not alone even when the ugly heads of depression and anxiety rear themselves and try to overwhelm me. But now, more than ever, I understand that I am not lost. I am not alone. I merely needed time to discover myself.

Always remember, not all who wander are lost! Give yourself time to discover yourself. Above all, be gentle with yourself while you go through the process, and escape. Escape as often as you can—and books are a wonderful tool to find that escapism. To learn. To broaden your horizons. READ and allow yourself to wander down the paths of your mind and find you. You are the most important person you will ever know.

The holidays can be a particularly hard time for some and Marinieves shows us that all is not lost when we have moments of doubt or unhappiness. We're merely finding our way. Thank you for joining us today and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

About Marinieves Cordero-Guzman

Marinieves hails from Harker Heights, Texas where she enjoys a life with a wonderful husband, works full time, and reads every book she can get her hands on. She credits her passion for reading to her mother. You can find her on Facebook.

 

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