The Light and the Darkness

The Beginning

This is the story of an ordinary girl. She is no more different than you and me. The only thing that separates her from us is her experience in life; her ups, her downs, her troubles and her pain. She never gave up, no matter what was put on her path she stood strong. What helped her was that just like bamboo she could bend when the wind was stronger than her.

Her name was Diana. A small-town girl living in the city. She enjoyed the outdoors a lot more than the malls and paved streets; enjoyed the piece and quiet of nature over the constant buzz of a busy city. She even saw something magical everyday, something wonderful. Not that she is delusional, she knew science and appreciated all that it has given her, but she saw beauty in the unknown, the miracles, the incomprehensible; which allowed her to believe in magic. She loved to take time in her day to take a walk and see the beauty of the world that laid before her. She would also read anytime she could, on the bus, a five-minute break. Every new book was a new adventure, from space, to the woods of a lost kingdom, to a city nearby where people fell in love. Of course, like any other girl she also loved movies and TV shows. If someone asked her what her favorite thing to do was, she would reply with smiling. A smile could brighten anyone's day. Everything was worth smiling for to her, there was always an upside to any situation.

Diana had made some friends along the way, a few of them were bad but most of them brought her comfort and joy. She loved her friends and was ready to do anything for them. Some of them she met when she first arrived in the big city like Eliana and Dawn. She truly was lucky with her friends because they could spend months apart and not drift away, always coming back to each other. Hailey appeared later on and Diana wouldn't have it any other way. She could tell Hailey everything and none of her secrets or pains would reach someone else's ears. Diana was also in the scouts which is where most of her friends came from like Allison, Holden and Kiara. She enjoyed the scouts as it gave her, an appreciation for the outdoors and friends that would last her a life-time. She was now a camp counselor for the scouts, so she could give the kids the same experience she had. The ones she could count on no matter what. She had Eliana and Dawn who had been there since the beginning.

When it came to her family, Diana couldn't be any happier. Her mother, Esme, was kind and passionate, never letting anything go without finishing it completely and to the best of her ability. Her father, Aiden was the biggest clown and the best listener she knew. There was never a dull moment around him. Never a tear spilled in vain. Her brother, Daniel was the kindest soul she ever met and the smartest person she knew. He was also the best brother she could ever wish for. Daniel was there when Diana needed him and was, of course, the over protective big brother who questioned everything about any guy she had a crush on. Diana loved her family but that didn't mean that everything was peachy. There were fights here and there but at the end of the day she still loved everyone. When it came to her grand-parents, she treasured them. She only had two left. They were the purest souls she ever met; offering help to everyone who needed it and always wanting to spend time with their grand-children. To her this was life's greatest gift, a family that was kind, loving and supportive of her no matter what.

Sadly, when it came to her love life, Diana didn't have anyone and yet that didn't stop her from hoping. She believed that everyone had someone out there for them; no one was destined to spend their life alone. She did have a few tries here and there, but it never worked out. It wasn't anyone's fault, it just wasn't meant to work, one moved away, the other didn't share her feelings and one was seeing someone at the same time. Diana still kept her hopes up, just because it doesn't work the few times you try doesn't mean that you're bound to fail every time.

Diana always tried to lead a peaceful life, but it became harder when her stress started to increase. Suddenly doing an oral presentation became impossible; suddenly walking alone in the dark was not an option; suddenly going out in public required a lot more preparation. Diana found ways to cope and avoid having panic attacks, listening to music and doing some breathing and yet after a couple of years the tricks didn't seem to work anymore. Sadly, no one at home seemed to understand her struggle but really, who understands why someone stresses obsessively over something. Diana decided that enough was enough and that she would get help for her stress. She went to see her doctor and needless to say, she was nervous about the whole affair. She kept thinking of the worst scenarios and scrambled to find good outcomes.