Broken PLaces

"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places."--Ernest Hemingway

Resilience is about forging on despite challenges and losses. It is about finding joy in life despite all the sorrow one faces. Hemingway understood this. He struggled with mental illness, and he eventually succumbed to it, killing himself at age 62.

In Hemingway’s final years, he received electroshock treatments for his depression and was no longer able to write. Writing had been the talent that had defined Hemingway’s life. He had also been a heavy drinker throughout his adult life, and several family members had committed suicide. Hemingway was resilient until he wasn’t. He was strong in the broken places, until he wasn’t.

Prompt: Who do you know who has remained strong in their broken places? Who do you know who has succumbed to depression and given up on life? How do you manage to stay in the former group? How do you embrace life, despite its myriad challenges?