The Journey

I often find people are far too hard on themselves, they take life far too seriously when they have no control and it poisons them. They burn their souls away trying to save the world, the ones around them see a hero that doesn’t need to sleep, when they’re dying inside, stretched into a transparent sheet that won’t snap. In most scenarios it’s preferable over doing nothing, receding back into oneself while the machine keeps chugging along just to be forgotten about. They are not forgotten of course, they become shells, everyone wonders why they don’t come out anymore, where were they last Christmas? Why haven’t you called lately?

The balance of life is strange, its as hard as one wants it to be, and unfortunately for most the human soul wants to make an impact, it wants to be loving and carrying, it wants to be a night in shining armor, or the last defender of the keep, the dam that refuses to break when the sky crashes down into the earth. I find you can only truly be that person, that knight in shining armor, if you have been through what life has to throw at you, the good and the bad, the peaks and the valleys. One who has been through the horrors of life can become calm and collected in the face of danger, while one who has experienced an unbreakable love will be kind and caring.

Life is going to happen to you regardless and most of the time it’s going to seem like it’s all bad, until you learn to relax and look for the little bits of light that peak through the clouds. None of this happens overnight of course, you don’t become cold and broken in one day, nor do you gain the experience to handle life itself in one day. It’s important to keep that in the back of your head, you’re on a journey, and while you must do everything you can to make that journey a positive experience for everyone involved, there is a time to take a step back and evaluate yourself.

Have you stretched yourself too thin? Are you judging yourself for a stupid comment you made, or maybe even one that someone else made? Can you step back and give counsel instead of being directly involved? Is there a better road to take?

Often when one is too hard on themselves, they think everything is their fault, or at the very least they must fix all the problems around them. While it is an honorable mindset, there is a point in one’s journey they may need to make some difficult decisions, decisions that maybe hurt incredibly in the moment but will allow them to heal and work towards a better life. Cutting out that friend that can’t stay out of prison, leaving your cheating spouse, or even something as simple as finding a new job.

The opposite of course is one that has tucked themselves away, the one that doesn’t come out anymore, or even the one that never came out to begin with. They’re the one that has to find their sweet spot in life, not too far, but they need to get out there, they need to call their parents, go out with their friends to build those important relationships, be kind to the strangers they don’t want to meet.

Theres no finish line, not one you need to worry about at least, a person changes every day with every interaction, they have the free will to turn a blind eye when something bad is happening, leave messages unread when people need them, or simply be rude to someone they do not know. You can’t save the world, but you can make it a better place as you pace through.