So I thought I would be the first to post in support of this new initiative. The earliest I can remember being bullied was back in Grade 4 or 5. I have a condition where my spine swings out at the base a little more than most people, its called Lordosis. It makes it look like me butt sticks out too much, and I got teased for it. I was also an overweight child, still kinda am at 30, and as you can imagine I was picked on for that too. To add injury to insult, I LOVE STAR TREK and most things sci-fi!!! I'm a TREKKIE through and through. It was not something I would tell the world because at the time, nerds and geeks were at the bottom of the food chain. Being a nerd was more ammo for my tormentors, so I just didn't tell them. I had to hide this part of myself to avoid further attacks. At my lowest, I felt like I had to hide my true self for fear of being teased.
It is easy for adults to say they are "just words", but you know what....words hurt! If they did not, then why the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword". The power of words is well known, and when coming from people teasing you, they are just as bad as physical abuse. I would cry because of the verbal abuse I would take. This continued through to secondary school. I would tell my parents and of course they would tell me I had to just ignore the kids bullying me.
Ignoring the words and abuse is much easier said then done. I was lucky enough to have friends that stayed by me no matter what, and places of refuge to retreat to when I needed to hide. I found that it was easier to remove myself from the problem then to stand up to it. It was the only relieve I would get from an otherwise constant assault. When High School came, I applied to a different school then most of the bully's went to and used the situation to "reinvent" myself. I acted like a "normal" kid, or at least what I thought would be normal. However I quickly learned that there were others that would accept the real me. As Grade 9 went by I was able to slowly show people the real me. It took well over a year to realize that there was nothing wrong with me. The people who teased me all those year had the real problem. I loved High School, and it only got better through University and then Paramedic College.
I just turned 30 and have now been a Paramedic for almost four years. I love my job, I love myself and life couldn't be better. I am married to a wonderful woman, we have an almost 2 year old son and I look forward to walking up every morning. If my 30 year old self could tell my 12 year old self that life would get better, I'd have never believed him. It seemed impossible at the time that the bullying would ever stop, but it did. The one thing I wish I could tell people who are bullied, is that there is nothing wrong with you. The problem is the bully! They are so insecure with themselves that they need the power they think they have over others to feel better about themselves. However, this satisfaction is short lived and those people often themselves go nowhere in life. I learned over time that helping others offers lasting satisfaction and that is why I am a Paramedic. I get to help people everyday! I am an Anti-Bully now and I love it!
I was a victim of bullying, and now I have shared my story with you. Thank you for reading.
