I sat down, on the floor of a hotel room, whispering: “If you can make it through the night, then tomorrow will bring good things. I believe in you.” That’s how I survived the night I was sexually and physically assaulted.
So let’s get the hard part over with and talk about what happen (names used are not their REAL names):
It was during work retreat. My boss (lets call him ‘Grant’) and I were leaving the party. Grant’s boss (Mark) offered to drive us back to the hotel. Grant and I sat in the back of Mark’s car. Grant was drunk, and I spent half of the day trying to make sure he didn’t look like more of a fool. Grant had index cards in his had. He begin to tear them up and toss them out the window. I asked for the cards and Grant gave them to me. Then, Grant laid down and put his head in my lap. And then, it happen.
Defining Assault:
a: a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person (as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner) that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension of such harm or contact — compare battery 1bb:rape 2 – via Merriam-Webster
He touched me – three times. I wasn’t expecting it. And yet, it happen. And, I froze. All I can hear is the beat of my heart. I kept thinking: “Did Mark just see this? Is anyone going to say something?” No. All there was is silence. When we pulled up to the hotel, I ran out of the car. I ran to my room and locked the door. I couldn’t gather my words. All I felt was shame, shock and anger. Mostly anger. Incredible anger. Oh, I was pissed.
I changed my clothes and went back outside. I knew he would be at the bar, and there he was. I asked him to come outside, and he followed me. Every bit of strength I had in me wanted to punch him till my fist went numb. I didn’t care for what happen next, he violated me. He needs to pay. However, all I could say to Grant was: “Why did you do it?” I went into all the details, I left nothing out. Then I repeated: “Why did you do it? This is wrong!” And, with all of Grant’s energy, all he could say is: “Do you want to kiss me?” I screamed out ‘No!’ and walked away.
I returned back to my room and tried not to give up on myself. I tried to believe that this situation can be resolved and I will find justice. But, I knew the truth. It’s been the same for centuries over. My word against his. But, in this moment, all I felt was broken. That’s when I posted this photo and poured my heart out on Instagram.
I had thoughts of suicide. I knew nothing would come of this. I knew no one would hear me. I knew nothing would be resolved. In order not to cause any harm to myself, I sat on the hotel room floor and begin to meditate and try to reassure myself. “You’re all you got.” I said. “No one’s coming to rescue you.”
I had to look in Grant’s face for the next five days as I pondered on how I was going to report this. Becoming ashamed of myself because I felt I didn’t stand up for myself enough. Then, a friend reached out to me and reminded me just how much I matter. He gave me the extra push I needed to write my report. And so, the drama began.
What happens when you report your boss for harassment? Well, for me, not much. I was reminded how the victim must repeat their story to as many higher ups that want to listen. I was reminded how the HR department is for what’s good of the company, not what’s good for your well being. Regardless of the help they tried to push on me, I no longer had or felt the trust. I feared that anything I tried to do or say would be used against me. Because this is not my first encounter assault, I was reminded how you have to re-live your story and no one believes you for a series of reasons, most just couldn’t believe Grant would do something like this. Yes, many uncomfortable things are implied when talking to me behind close doors. Of course, I was given “We don’t tolerate these type of things”, and all of these meetings made me exhausted. Nothing was resolved because the option given to me did not make me happy. I still had to see Grant’s face daily, they wanted to move him to another side of the building. WTF? This is how you make it better?
I began dreading work. I had several panic attacks and ran home sick. One week, I became dehydrated, sick with an unknown disease and had vertigo. My doctor explain that the only thing she can see was that I was mentally stressed. I knew exactly what was wrong, my body didn’t want to go back to work and was begging for me to stop. I had to make a decision, lawyer up or remove myself from the situation.
Many forget, when they are telling you to quit your job, that you have these people called: ‘Rent’, ‘Bills’ and ‘Taxes’. I have a single home income. I have to protect myself. For all the friends to told me I should leave that crazy job, not one was willing to help me out until I get another one. In these situations, many give up simply because they can’t afford to move on or find another place to go. So, I decided to remove myself from the situation. I have no money or mental capacity for a lawsuit. It took me about six months, but I finally did it. I couldn’t wait to run out of there, and into a brighter future. My last day was the day before my birthday. The next day, I celebrated my freedom from that horrid place. I got on a plane and left it all behind, for a few days.
And when I returned, I started a new job. I’ve been there for about three months now. I don’t miss anything about that place except the friends I made along the way. Till this day, I can’t sleep some nights without waking up in a cold sweat. There’s the nightmares, the feeling of being followed, the feeling of being worthless. Hopelessness. Doubt. I trust no one. I spend many of weekends in my room, staring outside, wondering what the wind feels like. Crying. So many tears. Panic attacks. I hear voices and I know no one’s there. There’s no cure. No remedy. You learn how to live with the scars. Every day brings new life, and some days are good…and some you rather want to forget. But, all I have is me.
And since this day, my social media has never been the same. Instead of progression, I’ve loss my creativity. I know it’s still in me, but no one tells you how to deal (mentally) with being assaulted. It’s different for everyone.
I dress up and take selfies when I fear the outside.
I will live with the scars for the rest of my life. I will work, endlessly building my self assurance and regaining my confidence. I’ll struggle with the fear of allowing others in my personal space. I’ve paid a very steep price, and I’m sure Grant and that company sleep well at night. If our legal system and society wouldn’t chastise our victims so much, this situation may have turned out differently. But, I can’t think about it. I have a life to rebuild mentally and financially. There’s no stops along the way to have a mental breakdown and just take a vacation. At lest, not for me. These are my emotions and I’m allowed to feel this way. Not every day will be rainbows and unicorns, but, every day can be a blessing.
my thought was: “Where will you see my 10 second diary?” I’ve been holding on to the footage for a while and I have many videos that go over 10 seconds. Also, all of my photos and post for that day are lost in the world that is FaceBook.
I had the idea to turn my site into a diary of everything I did from the first 100 days of the give it 100 challenge a few months ago, and with work, health issues and drama keeping me busy, I just kept putting it off. But, it’s long overdue.
Behind The 100 (#BT100) is a collection of videos, pics and postings from my inspirational journey. Not only will it help me to keep everything in one place, this will be the “go-to” for all Q&A about my events during that time. My journey has more to do with weight loss, which I had a chance to share with Greatist in a recent interview.
I’m planning to divide the segment into several parts. Hopefully, I can squeeze everything into something that will make sense (I have a tendency to babble and steer away from my point). But, I will be sharing it all, and it will get ugly before it gets pretty. For, it was never all about weight loss, and many come to my site thinking they are going to get that. I’m not sorry.
Any challenge is all about pushing out of your comfort zone and that’s just what I did.
Don’t you love it when other people tell you how to or what to eat? I mean, isn’t just awesome? Hell no. I’m, for one, am tired of it. Because I happen to be fat (I know, shocker) EVERYONE has an opinion on what I should eat, how I should train, blah, blah, blah. Words, words, words.
Look, everyone’s learning process is different. Also, your history with food tells a story. Maybe you’re an emotional eater. Maybe you eat to many of one group and not enough of the others. KNOW how food has an effect on your mind & body before you make any decisions about ‘getting healthy’.
I always get questions on what I eat and how many calories, blah, blah, blah. Listen, my process is different from others. So, if you know what your goals are, this could affect the way you eat. This doesn’t mean eating less – DON’T DO IT! It means that you have to CHANGE YOU VIEWS ON WHAT YOU EAT.
You eating habits can make or break your future lifestyle. And I’m trying to use my words carefully here, so pay attention. I’m going to try to explain how I got to where I am now…but try to make a long story short.
In my 20s, all I did was eat fast food (take out), processed foods (frozen meals & the ‘snack isle’) and drink SODA. I spent the majority of my time riding around in a car from going to work, school and hanging out with friends. I stayed away from any activities that caused me to sweat. So, I know how I got here.
By my early 30s trying to make a change without any support was difficult. Also, I was going through some other dramatic situations. I would drink, drink and drink some more. I didn’t care. Finally, I had enough.
Learning from previous experience, I had to take a ‘small step’ approach by adding in the good and removing the bad one-by-one. Because I was making the decisions, it was easier to hold myself accountable and to follow a routine. No one making me feel bad for my choices, or holding it over my head because I didn’t listen when they told me what to do. I knew I didn’t want that. I just trained myself the way I would teach myself at work. I w as always given something either no one could master or no one wanted because it was too much drama/work. I focused in on the change; researched what works well with what my goals are. I looked for alternative for when I’m stressed and what my trigger foods are (crunchy, greasy, salty like fires or chips). Yes, it was hard work, but its work I’m committed to and want for my future. So, it’s pretty easy now. The issues that get in the way are just time and work. Sometimes, there’s not enough time in the day or work has me so busy…you know. But, I don’t give up on me. I don’t count me out and I don’t beat myself up. I do the best with what I have. I’m not bending over backwards to keep up with anyone. I’m fighting for my life – not the whole city. I do, because I WANT TO.
i hope that clears it up. I can’t tell you what you should do or how to, because everyone’s different. Besides, when I want a burger, I eat an effin’ burger. The only difference is, the burgers may be a little more classy.
All kidding aside. Going to some fast food place on the way home or to work used to be my staple. When I changed my eating habits, things like fast food, soda and processed meals left a horrible taste in my mouth. So, I just don’t eat them. If I do stress out and run for the chips, I know I’m paying for it in the long run and I accept it. Tomorrow is another day.
When I decided to make changes in 2014, one of them I kept to myself. ‘Going Natural’, my hair that is. Going natural has many negative remarks as the positives. Everyone has an opinion and it can feel overwhelming. But, whatever your ethnicity, if you want to go natural (grow out any chemical treatment in your hair or just cut off all the processed hair and start over), you should stay committed and fuck what the naysayers say. I said it. The good old “Number One Salute” to the haters.
Just like with weight loss, it seems everyone wants to give their two cents on what YOU should do about your own hair. I thought it was mine, but apparently not. There’s some that will tell you to YOUR face that ‘Natural Hair is not for everybody’. Yeah, the hair on YOUR head that you were born into this world with don’t like you. And, just like with weight loss, you start to feel like you’re losing the fight. At one point, when I started to go natural, some of my friends said they didn’t like the way my hair looked. Clearly they just want the ‘IN’ images around them – Bye! Have a nice flight outta my life.
For me, I’ve been tired of the chemical treatments since 2008. At the beginning, the only reason I kept it up was I couldn’t find anyone who went through the process. Then, I kept the chemical treatment because that was the only thing my ex-husband liked. Then, I kept in the weaves, and take it out to get it another weave. It’s exhausting. In 2012, I wanted to be done with it all. But, fear and listening to others just held me back. And this is what WE as humans do in all of our routines: We’re so scared to step out on our own that we follow the same program. WHY?
i HAD ENOUGH. i decided that I was going to be the only person who gets to decide how my hair should be. And why did it take me so long to make THAT decision? All my life, I did everything I could to please others when I should be pleasing myself FIRST.
i’m not to say that “Natural is the way to be”, I’m just saying that you should follow the beat of your OWN drum. Because when the “Trend” of “Going Natural” is over…I’ll still be here living the dream.
And, as you can see in this photo, clearly I’m doing something right & regardless of how you or anyone else sees me – I’m beautiful just the way I am.
After the ‘video’ (January 2014), I was going to the gym at least 5 days a week, sometimes twice a day. I enjoyed it. Since I wasn’t working, it was a good way to pass the time. I’ve met a lot of new faces and kept my weight down but, I didn’t feel so complete. By May 2014, I was still out of work and have yet to find anything to do other than workout. Going to the gym was my release for all my stress. When you’re out of work for so long, you start thinking that everything is wrong with your resume, your name, the way you look – I can run down a list.
Then in June of 2014, I got a job. I was so relieved and excited. But, going to the gym began to feel like a second job. Many of us just simply stop working out because we can’t find the time. Once I added work into my schedule, when I finally got to the gym, I couldn’t wait to go home and sleep. I had no meal prep in place so I would skip meals. I was defiantly going down hill fast. Plus, I was still unhappy. Something had to go and by October of 2014, I stopped going to the gym.
This doesn’t mean I’ve stopped working out, I just stopped going to the gym. Also, my budget would not be able to hold on to the membership anymore. Social Media has become my trainer. I gather moves and inspiration from things I’ve researched or seen on different FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest pages. Lets face it, not all of us can afford the gym or it’s impossible to make it to certain classes, but I can do 20 or 30 mins. at home. No problem. With todays technology, we have the answers sitting right in front of us (for the most part) we just have to apply some actual work.
The gym did teach me some things:
Missing a day is not a big deal
Your results are based on your commitment
Everybody carries fat differently, so stop the blame game
We all have something that needs improvement
Time waits for no one
I don’t have a final destination in my journey; I’m just leaning how to do things I never believed I could do before.
