Lisa Bronwyn

Hidden Strength


We don’t even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward. In times of tragedy, of war, of necessity, people do amazing things. The human capacity for survival and renewal is awesome. – Isabel Allende

Maybe my strength is not so hidden as of late. I’ve had to navigate some really gnarly sh*t for much of this year. Hence why my appearances here have been non-existent.

I’ve been visiting my own site, this site, like a casual observer that happened to accidentally land here. To see what happened. CSI in a way. No, maybe it’s when you just know that there’s no extra food in the fridge since you haven’t gone to the store. Yet you still open the fridge door anyway, just to quadruple check that you didn’t miss anything.


I’m enjoying eating food again and have been exploring many taste sensations. It’s almost as if it’s out of my control. The couture in my closet might not be so happy about that, so let’s just say that I won’t be wearing any major designers for a little bit. My weight gain finds me finally fitting into a gauzy Helmut Lang skirt, though, so there’s that.


On the daily front, I’ve been very successful at my main gig, even though it’s immensely exhausting. You could say that I’m a decently paid personal shopper for a major search engine and that it’s working for now. I also get to lead some mostly younger people <25 that happen to put up with me and my peculiar open book management style.

A former boss once said, "we all don't have to sing and hold hands in the park, but as long as we can be civil and respectful at work, it's all good." (this is wildly paraphrased, by the way)

I've adopted this modified mantra with success.


This is what almost 40 looks like after a particularly difficult day. I just need to persevere for just a little while longer and hopefully won’t look so tired.

Grief and trauma can be compartmentalized, but little moments of weariness appear when I least expect it, though.


The kidlet turned 3 (!) and I’ll be 40 this Saturday. As in a few days. It’ll be a seriously low-key affair and it’s just a number to type at the moment.

I’ve got so much work left to do in this lifetime as there have been some lasting ramifications to things that I had no control of in the past.

Many people have become strangers in a very short amount time and that’s ok.

I discard what’s weighing me down as clutter isn’t just stuff. It’s the baggage from other people’s lessons that I don’t need to learn. I can’t learn things FOR them either, and that lesson might be the hardest one of all for me.

So I’ll leave you with this cryptic quote from Napoleon Hill:

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.

Equal or greater (and not the gross Nutrasweet sweetener, either).

Don’t forget to vote.

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