Living Life in the Present by Shelby Slaughter: A Little Time For Reflection.

The Why.

After my much-needed weekend to reflect on the unexpected turn my life took, I decided it’s time to share a story. A story that I know I will live past, and a story that I hope will help other people who read this. Although I won’t say too much however; I just think it’s important for you to know what happened. I remember it like it was yesterday, I had just walked into my local LA Fitness and I remember my heart began fluttering and the fluttering hasn’t stopped to this day. If you guessed it’s because I met a boy, you are absolutely correct. And over the course of the year we fell in love and I thought my life was going exactly the way that it should. But then fate started stepping in a little more each and every day, and every day I would uncover a new lie from this person whom I trusted so much. Each day I would live past the lies and we would begin again. But each day it grew harder for me to believe who I was falling in love with, and all the while I was trying so hard to believe in someone that I stopped believing in myself. All I will say about what came after was domestic violence, continuously. That is something only my close friends and family will ever know but I think it’s important that you all know too. And this is why: Over the past year I was verbally and physically abused, and when you’re in that situation you don’t really think how you can get out of it, you think of how you can make that person better because all you want to do is love them and live that fairy-tale life. And if you’re reading this, and you’re in this current situation please know it’s not worth it and that it’s not you. You need to get out and know that God has a plan for you, and this is just a stepping-stone to where you are going to go in life. Well that’s not what my life has been. My life for the past year was a learning experience, and that’s all I can really say. This past year taught me that only you can have the courage to get out of something that is bad for you. Your friends and your family can all tell you that what you’re doing is wrong, but you in the end are the one that has to do the moving on and that’s what makes everything so difficult. I can truly thank his grandma for her beautiful advice and her willingness to always talk to me and comfort me. She is a remarkable woman, and I hope that person realizes that as much as I do. But I will tell you this, I believe in miracles. I still believe in that other person and the love that I have for him. If you can take anything out of reading this blog, take this with you: You can only believe in someone for so long, until they give you nothing to believe in anymore. That’s the bottom line, and that’s where I am at, the bottom.

The Destination.

This past weekend I needed something different. I needed to see something new, something that wasn’t what I was use to for the past year. I had just walked away from a relationship that didn’t matter an ounce to the other person, but mattered everything to me and on top of that I lost my puppy. I needed to get away and know that I can recover. So, I packed my bags on Thursday night and I was in New York the next day. New York, stole my heart, along with a certain someone I met while there. The city itself is beautiful and I met so many inspiring people that made me realize that this past year was nothing, and I can build myself to be so much better and stronger. The best part for me was what was said before I left for New York. Remember that boyfriend I loved so much? I quote him, “You will never find love again Shelby, you’re not worth it. And I will make sure you never see New York.” And when I landed in New York and walked into the apartment that I was staying at I knew that I had done everything right. I’m beyond the person who tried to manipulate and lie and change me for the past year and I am back to being Shelby. I am back to changing the world, and I am back to make a difference.