Story

I was 4 years old and living in a refugee camp in Salem when my mother said:
-Maha, remember you can not go away with your friend, you can only play here on our play garden.

A short time later, I no longer knew where I was.
I did everything I could to stay alive.
The fear of failing to find my way back home triggered strong death anxiety.

In the evening I was found, frozen and alone out in the woods.

No external bodily injuries were visible to my parents.
I was expected to be quiet and not talk about it, hoping to forget about the incident.

But why? Little I thought and did not dare to ask.
I just assumed it was shameful and that I could never be whole again.
So I pretended to forget, became quieter and more skilled at hiding my feelings.

I also did not fit into the school, was branded as a failure. Engaged and married at 18 years.

I closed my eyes to be able to survive and so did  everyone who could guess something wrong.
All I did was to please others.

But then one day I had enough. With my two daughters 7 and 2 years old, I decided to pack a bag and leave everything behind.
From that day on, I began to notice my successes.

After reading my book, I hope that a will is born to identify your greatest fear so that you can overcome it.