Robin: Making Adversity a Catalyst for Growth

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Robin is an example of a woman who discovered a deeper calling through adversity. An attractive woman in her fifties, she underwent several losses over the past few years. Her grown daughter moved across the country, she and her husband divorced after twenty-four years of marriage and her mother passed away. She found herself under a great deal of stress because her major role as a caregiver had been stripped away. The emptiness she felt caused her to go deeper and what she discovered is a flourishing inner life. By reaching out to friends and a therapist, she realized that she had disowned her creative voice as a playwright by putting her family’s needs first.

While in the throes of loss, the last thing Robin expected was a resurgence of her creativity. Life’s seeming obstacles can offer a breakthrough rather than a breakdown if we don’t try to deny the pain. Instead, we can ask, What gifts are veiled by this pain? I want to open my heart and mind to them. When we close our hearts to life’s challenges, our hearts simultaneously close to its gifts

“I can’t stop writing,” Robin said. “Sometimes I’m terrified about what’s to come, but excited at the same time.” Rebuilding a career in her fifties wasn’t easy. But she continued to write, created a one-woman show in which she starred and had one of her plays performed by professional actors. Reflecting on her process, Robin shared, “It’s taken me a long time to acknowledge my artistic talent. The fear of being rejected was a big part what stopped me from exposing myself. At this point in my life, I’ve learned that if I don’t risk that rejection, I’m never going to get anywhere.” What also encouraged her to write and perform was a commitment to supporting others in discovering and expressing their own creativity. She joyfully exclaimed, “The bigger purpose of my work is to help people understand how special they are.”

P.S. Robin's play Scrambled Eggs recently completed an off-Broadway run.

Excerpt from In Her Power.