What doesn’t kill you, definitely makes you stronger..

An anonymous post:

1st February: I have been dreading and both looking forward to this day, then I can move on.

Last year on February 1st at around 11.10am I was assaulted. I was grabbed from behind with two hands and basically roughly groped. If he had had a knife I wouldn’t be here now. Broad daylight, me pushing a buggy.

It was five minutes walk from my house.

The man who did it was never caught. I did photo fits and descriptions and the case was closed last August. I don’t like to think of him being out there, scaring other women, I hope something nasty has happened to him.

He was whiskery & wearing a blue woolly hat. I have really appreciated that it’s been a mild winter this year so I haven’t had to see many woolly hats about. I’ve barely worn the coat I was wearing either so, again, glad for the mild weather.

It was reported in the local papers and I requested anonymity but people worked out that it was me. I’m probably still out there online somewhere. I kept the newspaper reports but I don’t know why.

I was offered counselling but didn’t take it. Decided I didn’t need it. I didn’t take the children to school the next day and avoided that route for a good few months. When I walk along it now, I make sure I’m talking on the phone so I’m not thinking about where it happened.

It made me very wary of men walking behind me for a while and even now, I’ll sometimes pretend to be looking for something in my bag and they’ll pass me.

The two positives that came out of this are:
The children rely on me, I had to keep going, especially with the autism, the routine had to be kept.
It’s made me start up driving lessons again, it’s horrendously expensive but it’s going well. I hope to be taking my test by end May.

So, at the moment I’m fine & it’s helped blogging it but if I’m either a bouncy bunny craving attention or a shy mouse on Wednesday, you now know why. But I do know February 2nd 2012 will be welcomed with open arms.

At a friend’s suggestion I have bought a blue woolly hat from Oxfam, I’m going to burn it as symbolism.