Amy Tan – Getting Worn Down by Life

What does it feel like to get worn down by your life? Here’s what bestselling author Amy Tan says about losing yourself slowly as the years go by…

“I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years washing away my pain, the same way carvings on stone are worn down by water.”

How is your life wearing you down?

Again, it’s the book thing for me. I want to be a published author, but have so many doubts, fears, and hesitations. Mostly I don’t want to waste my time writing stuff that’ll never get published, that I’ll never be able to pass around in book form.

Are your relationships wearing you down?

I used to fear that my marriage would change who I am, would wear down my spark, life, and personality. I grew up with a single mom, and no men at all in the vicinity, so I thought men were….not “evil”, but draining and suffocating.

It turns out that marriage can lift you up and bring you to life! My marriage has shown me my greatest weaknesses, and my biggest strengths.

Maybe getting worn down by life depends on us. That is, maybe we have control over how much our lives and relationships will wear us down, and how much they’ll boost us up.

Back to Amy Tan’s words about getting worn down by life:

What pain are you washing away? What is slowly wearing your face, personality, and identity away?