By Carey Hart

Sorry for being gone for so long I just got a new job and have been tired. Getting used to having to wake up at 5am compared to my usual of 12pm is a little difficult. Here is a thought for you all though.

Ok, so imagine you are out walking from one place to another in a big city. There are hundreds of people walking around besides yourself. Do you look them, ANY of them in the eye as you pass, or do you look down at the ground and try not to attract any attention? Now imagine someone walks up to you and randomly tells you they love you. Do you panic and speed up and walk away? Do you stop, startled and just look at them? Do you smile and tell them you love them back?

Do you realise that every decision you make and every reaction you have determines not only how you make someone else feel but how you feel about yourself as well? If you have been abused the way you react can wildly vary depending on what stage you are in, but let me challenge you all to do something that suprisingly WILL make you feel better about yourself regardless of what stage of grief or repair you are in. Next time you are going somewhere realise that there is a large percentage of people that are victims of abuse so use the fact that you have been through it to go out of your way and spot those people. Go up to them and tell them that you love them. Chances are once you get good at it and KNOW who is a victim they will be shocked and probably wont know what to say. Some of them may avoid you because they may be scared of the repercussions of their seemingly omnipresent abuser. One thing you can be certain of is they will remember you and they will start to question everything that that abuser is striving to program them to believe. “why would someone that doesnt even know me tell me they love me?” They WILL remember you, and that will be the beginning of the end of that dictators reign. YOU have just used manipulation in the best way possible.

Now heres another thing I would like you to try: think of the people that helped you out of your abusers grasp or anyone that just inspired you or helped you in a major way. Now choose one of them and write them a letter telling them how much you appreciate them. Make it serious and heartfelt I want you to get as close to tears as possible writing this letter. NOW I want you post that letter in the replies so we can all read it. Dont use their real name in the post but I want you to use their real names in your HANDWRITTEN letter. After I get 20 or so letters in the reply I will have a new mission for you.