Today, I read this phrase: "If you are destined to survive a flood, accept that you will forever be afraid of water." About twenty-five years ago, I developed a problem with my eye; the vitreous body detached from the retina without retinal detachment, thanks to God.

The consequence was that I began to see phantom images, like a black, branching spider swimming in waves of black sand, a medical phenomenon known as "eye floaters." Then, it was discovered that I had glaucoma and optic nerve weakness, one of the rarest vision impairment cases globally, according to the doctor.

I struggled for years to see clearly until it was no longer possible, and I succumbed to the idea that I would always see the world from a disturbing perspective. I disregarded my doctor's advice that I should overcome my feeling of not seeing until my mind responds by dropping these annoying phantoms and ignoring them.

I chose to proceed the hard way. I struggled for many long months, alone, with the effects of vision impairment amidst all my commitments to raising my children, reviewing their lessons, and preparing my doctoral thesis. I insisted on seeing what was bothering me until I was able to depict this miserable spider and the damn waves of black sand.

I kept wondering, how would I complete my journey with half vision, half clarity, and then half of my need to go on, work, and enjoy life? One of the strongest reasons for your success is being able to befriend yourself, possess the ability to convince it, and not let it surrender.

Every dark destiny can turn into a beacon you can rely on during the darkest moments of your life. All you need is an iron will, an unwavering spirit, limitless patience, and await the beautiful compensation.

I started to accept my fate!! I did it persistently and with complete conviction. After a few short years, my mind ignored these black phantoms, and I completely surrendered to the idea that I would never see clearly again, and despite that, it will no longer bother me from now on!

I learned all the precautions that enabled me to walk alone at night. I substituted vision by using my sense of hearing and sometimes touch when vacuum cleaning my home instead of seeing the floor which became impossible.

I memorized the routes, bumps in the road, and learned locations using means not relying on sight but memory, storing the size of things and their locations, not their details.

It was never easy. I stumbled a lot, often stopped in my car unable to continue the journey, and yes, I cried a lot until the day I overcame all the above and took revenge on my weakness and turned impotence into ultimate strength and beauty.

If you asked me today, my friend, about how I feel, I would tell you that this weakness was the best thing that happened to me in my life.

Through adversity, I learned the power of will and the virtue of self-reliance. I realized that I still see everything very clearly but through my determination and the power of insight.

Perhaps the worst thing about our blessing is that we do not appreciate their value and forget to thank God for them until the day we lose them forever.

Today, I thank God for the years of clear vision and thank Him more for the years of weak vision during which I gained strength, insight, and resilience.

I am no longer ashamed of my visual impairment, but I am proud of my ability to overcome it for more than a quarter of a century.

I have forgotten how I used to see, but I learned how to adapt and cooperate with my weakness and befriend it; this, indeed, has maintained my success and continued perseverance.

My dear, you will not get everything you wish for, but you will get multiples of it, provided you live your life well.

The best we can do in our world is to remain a light guest in it, sitting quietly, accepting what is presented to us, enjoying its goodness and contentment until the time of departure comes.

Souls are known through adversity, but you will never know your strength until you struggle persistently with difficulties, teasing the desolation of the experience, and persisting in your attempts.

So, my friend, that's how our world works, everyone goes through their hardships, and God's will always serves your interests.

Do not betray your blessings, for they are your safe guide to quality survival and a good end.

To live means to experience many things, some of which you will not like, and to survive means that you did not slack off and you completed your role as required of you.

Your feeling of dissatisfaction is a warning from God to you that you need to change.

Climb your risks like a noble knight who knows how to win on the racing track.

Disasters cause radical changes in our lives, but those losses enable you to fill the wide open space in front of you, so each loss you've countered turns into a deserved benefit.

So... your best provisions are those earned with effort.

Your will is what guarantees you quality closeness to God, through which you receive continuous support and the straight back.

Sometimes we strive to avoid pain instead of dealing with it and learning from it, what can't be cured, you have to bear and be patient with.

Now... let's adjust the phrase together: {If you intend to survive the flood, make sure that the water does not scare you (at all)}.