Fighting Battles

I’ve always been good at covering it up – the sadness, the hurt, the frustration. I typically move on with a smile that can so easily be fake. I don’t walk around feeling as though I have a ‘one-up’ on others for being able to do this. In fact, some days I wish I was more willing to share my thoughts without the fear of feeling weak or burdensome.

Often,when the cover-up looks like our only option, we suppress the battle we’re fighting. This can look different for everyone.

Maybe…

You’re anxious because the company you had that great hourlong interview with hasn’t responded to your emails in two weeks.

You’re heartbroken because the person you started to feel a connection with didn’t feel the same.

You’re defeated because your life at home is the opposite of what you tell your friends.

You’re worried because the world seems to be at a point of no return.

You’re saddened by the hate and tension that so easily fills the space between us these days.

As we grow up, our worries become more than getting across the monkey bars on the playground.

No matter the person, no matter the battle, we are all fighting something. This is so important to remember.

Overwhelming or not, every battle impacts how we react to and treat others. The person next to you in their car, behind you in the grocery store or across the street may be hanging on for dear life. We have the opportunity to help them hang on.

We all have this commonality that comes with being part of the human race. As life goes on, the gift of helping others becomes a choice we make every day. The battles may leave us feeling defeated, but the way we help others and ourselves move forward is what matters.

Go the extra mile in any way you can with the strength that remains. Write a letter to a friend you haven’t seen in a while, just to check-in. Pay for the person behind you in the Starbucks drive-thru (thank you to the stranger who paid for my horribly expensive drink last week). Smile at others as you walk through the store, even with your mask on. You can tell by the eyes. Radiate joy from a hopeful mindset that you will be okay, even if everything isn’t right now.

Extend kindness often and don’t forget there is still good in the world. We just have to be on the look-out sometimes.

May we remember that people all around us are fighting battles; some seen, some unseen. Let’s love others, just because.