Regardless of who you are, where you’re from, or what you’ve been through in life, you can benefit from reading Sue Krupa’s debut memoir, I Just Looked Up. Sue takes you on the heart-wrenching journey of her childhood, allowing you to experience firsthand all her hardships and heartbreaks: growing up with a mother suffering from bipolar disorder, divorce ripping her family apart and estranging her from her siblings, recurring tragedy and loss. You watch her transform from a frightened and lonely young girl to a loving and forgiving woman, despite all the misfortunes she faced and pain she was caused. She gives you a deeper look into the mind of someone suffering from mental illness and consistently proves how important it is to live a life filled with love and empathy.
Below are some inspirational one-liners from Sue Krupa’s memoir:
“You have to fall apart to see exactly what you are made of.”
“I had come to know the damaging memories were just that—memories. Memories are made to be left behind for cherishing, learning from, redefining, as we make new ones by living in the moment. My past is not my identity.”
“There are no true arrivals, just continuous journeys. I’d become convinced that I was supposed to arrive at some perfect destination and have all the answers to the enigmatic questions posed by life. But what I kept smacking up against was the fact that there is no arrival point, just an unceasing journey to continually become more.”
“Our wounds often speak for us. Most of the time we are unconscious of what messages we are sending to each other.”
“A broken piece of glass can always be put back together. Though it appears to be different once it is mended, it is still the same glass. The cracks and lines add significant character to the depth of what once was perfectly clear and whole. Now, the facets join together to tell a new story.”
“That’s the saddest part of mental illness, though, is no one gets to control its powerful grip or when it appears.”
“Solemn recognition of pain is the gift that ties us together in the human experience.”
“We choose what we do with our memories. We either let the gloomy ones destroy us or walk us into bitter dispositions, or we choose to sift through them, learn from them, study them, and permit them to rock us ever so gently, granting us new perceptions of compassion and love. There is a reason that we have a past tense. It is there we need to leave our heartache behind, allowing time to wash us clean of yesterday’s calamities. Staying present in the moment is integral to emotional well-being. The here and now buoys the soul through distressful immersions.”
“Every soul you meet provides a reflection for you to learn and grow from. Be willing to see yourself in everyone and everything. Our humanity is life’s greatest mirror.”
“When life gets hard and nothing makes sense, it is time to stop, reevaluate, and make well thought-out plans to change it all. We get to write the endings to our story—and they are meant to be beautiful, no matter what we have come from.”
“I know 100 percent that I would not have the depth, character, compassion, love, patience, or desire to discontinue legacies for my own children without the sad part of my individual journey.”
“Without the experience of darkness, light is not as powerful or bright. Without light, we cannot truly see all that there is right in front of us.”
“We are not here to fix each other; we are here to love each other.”
“Should you really want to converge with another soul in this lifetime then you must acquire the skill of bestowing empathy. Empathy is a distinct characteristic that drives us to share others’ feelings and project our understanding into their experience. Empathy compels us to relate and gracefully connect to others as we step into their world, reminding them that they matter and are seen and heard. Empathy moves us to not only want to share our sentiments and sympathies, but it motivates us to validate, commune, and attach as we do, bringing humanity to life.”
“Expression is an unbounded art… This is the gift we all receive from storytelling: connection.”
“You have to get working on changing the things that threaten to limit your successes. When you meet the bravery inside of you, there is no turning back. Courage urges us to save ourselves from ourselves.”
Sue’s memoir reminds you that you are not alone in your suffering, no matter what kind of pain you are experiencing. Whether you are suffering from a mental illness or living amongst one, Sue’s insightful message is what you need to hear to pick yourself up and keep going.
Featured image via Ju Desi on Unsplash
I think it is worth to read. Thank you