The Common Volcano

We like to keep up with celebrities. Most of us, anyway. We like to know about their personal lives...who are they married to? Where were they born? What kind of childhood did they have? We sympathize and relate and try to personalize them as much as possible because it's fun to have something in common with a famous person.

I have the same birthday as Rob Lowe, Gary Sinise, Kurt Russell, Mia Hamm, and Nat King Cole.

I was born in Texas...just like Beyonce, Patrick Swayze, Dennis and Randy Quaid, Luke and Owen Wilson, Forest Whitaker, and many more.

I also share some of the same struggles as some celebrities. I had endometriosis like Julianne Hough, Jillian Michaels, Padma Lakshmi, and many more.

It's cool to share something personal with a person in the lime light. Unless what you're sharing isn't cool at all.

Like Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Terry Hatcher, Queen Latifah, Drew Carey, Tatum O'Neal, and too many more, I was sexually abused as a child. This is not something anyone likes to share. But it's something we need to talk more about.

I was sexually abused from the age of 2 until I told at the age of 10. After I told, my world went into a kind of dream-like status until I was able to adjust and feel "normal". But recently, normal hasn't been cutting it. I wasn't told any details of what happened after this came to light. My parents thought they were protecting me. Their hearts were in the right place and they DID protect from a lot of the shrapnel that fell out. But I didn't FEEL protected. I didn't know they were doing anything about it. It was a difficult time for everyone involved and, for my brothers, sister, mom and dad, they just wanted me to never have to deal with it again. They couldn't know that, by not talking about it and dealing with it to my face, it would lay burried like a waiting volcano inside of me.

It recently erupted.

I'm 38 years old now. Shouldn't this all be in the past? Shouldn't I be over it? Not even close. I have nightmares, flashbacks, body-memories, and good old fashioned crying jags. My husband and children and friends have cushioned themselves around me to soften my blows and to reassure me that it's not too late to "fix" this inside of me.

I know there are more of you out there. Talk to me.

onceuponahousewife@gmail.com

I'm the kind of gal who keeps things in the light...out in the open...where Satan hates it. I don't mind sharing my journey and I hope it's encouraging and helpful to somebody out there.

I start therapy one week from today. I'll let you know how it goes.