@kuben123,
To this very day, I have no regrets about the life that I lead nor the choices that I
have made.
No need for quotes around shattered pieces; better:
I almost gave up and buckled under the pressure; it wasn’t easy putting the “shattered pieces” back together again. (Anyhow, if you almost buckled, were you actually shattered into pieces? And to buckle is to bend, not break)