I'm No Superman

You’re not invincible. Stop assuming that “it” will never happen to you. Anything can happen, including the bad. Even if you’re smart, careful, and always on top of your game, curveballs will still be thrown at you and you could strike out.

As much as I was prepared for “it,” and as much as I knew about “it,” I still never thought “it” would happen to me. Contrary to popular belief, in Catholic school, they teach us a LOT about sex, drugs, assault, and alcohol, (sometimes more than we’d like, sometimes just to scare us); the “its” in the world that could scar us and taint our lives. They would test us and make us question our faith in the world and in ourselves. These are the same “its” that our parents warn us about when we’re young, but protect us from until we’re ready to face them alone. The truth is... you'll never really be ready.

I was 18 years old when I found out that I’m no superman. Nothing truly bad had ever really happened to me before; no broken bones, broken homes, or even broken hearts darkened my doorstep. And then “it” happened. Assault by someone you know is much more common than assault by a complete stranger; isn’t that scary? I knew him and I knew he liked me. I never thought he would hit me. We weren’t dating, we were barely even friends. We hardly spoke aside from the time we spent together with our mutual friends.

I wasn’t bruised after this happened nor was I really even injured; my head hurt though. Mostly, I remember being shocked. I remember feeling afraid and shaken. Did that just happen to me? Did “it” just happen to me? I became distrustful of people and I lost my faith in the goodness I used to recognize so easily in others. Honestly, I’m still not the same person, but I’m okay with that. I know better now. Yes, it was a terrible experience, one that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but it made me realize that I am just as human as the victims I read about in the news paper. And while I may be stronger now, I'm still no superman and neither are you.