Why I’m So Damn Proud of So Damn Many of You

The United States in 2022 is a tough place to live. Hell, the entire planet Earth in 2022 is full of so many bad things, racism and bigotry, aggressively mean attitudes, poverty, and war, somebody stop me already. I’m getting sad again.

But there are still so many wonderful things that happen in our lives. It’s so much easier to focus on all of the negative stuff regarding politics, religion, social media, and other topics. I just want to tell you all, that I’m proud of you.

I’m proud of all of the wonderful people who have kindness in their hearts, good manners on their tongues, and thoughts of other people’s comfortability ahead of their own. It takes a good human to consider other’s points of view that differ from their own. I’m so damn proud of you. Many humans refuse to be open and tolerant of beliefs differing from their own. Avoid those people, whenever possible.

To those of you who not only tolerate but accept others’ differences, that’s admirable. You have my respect and admiration automatically. Bonus points if you truly love to learn about another person’s perspective over talking about your own. I strive to be a better listener rather than just following along with someone’s story they’re telling, so I can sneak my next tidbit of relatable material in there.

I’m so damn proud of everyone who is fighting the good fight for equality. For women to have control of their own bodies. For the people who go to bed hungry and aren’t living in a home. To everyone who battles against and resists the controlling aspect of religion and the politicians and leaders who are trying to take rights away from women, minorities, and LGBTQ people based only on their twisted religious beliefs. You will not succeed. We will not be controlled by the Moral Minority.

I’m so damn proud of those people who are fighting to survive in a world full of high prices and wages that have not caught up to those costs as of yet. They likely never will. Gone are the days when the average price of a home or rental is affordable. They’re certainly not affordable to most households where a mother or father stays home with their children.

Even in many households where both parents are working full time or a number of second jobs or side hustles, it’s difficult to afford what’s needed. I see the single mom who has gone to school for years and sacrificed, saved, graduated, and found a game-changing career (not job) and is flourishing. I’m so damn proud of you, Sis!

I see the single dad raising his son and fighting for years to get custody of his other son. The court battles. Getting a college degree, going through the legal system, and fighting for that child he misses so much. I know the struggle, the tears, the wanting to give up, but pushing forward for your son. I see you, and I’m so damn proud of you, Brother.

To anyone starting a new job, career, long, intense training, joining the military, completing a trade school, or recently graduating from high school or college, I see you. It’s not easy seeing educational and workplace goals to the end. If you aren’t appreciated enough for a monumental task, just know that I’m so damn proud of you.

To those battling health struggles, from the pandemic or other issues, I wish the best things for you. I know how it feels to worry about your health and wonder if this is the end, soon. My recent bout with Covid has been admittedly terrible, but I know far more people who have had it worse than I have. I know a handful who have died. I see you and I mourn for you and your families.

For people with addiction problems or mental health issues, I see you. The world we live in in 2022 is judgmental, uncaring, loud, and aggressive so much of the time. Ignorance often rules in a mob mentality. For those who fight the good fight to stay clean, and use the resources available to work on themselves and their own better mental health, I’m so damn proud of you.

For anyone who is enjoying new hobbies, activities, or goals, I admire you. It’s hard not to get caught up in the grind, working hard just to survive, and having any desire to be active or enjoy something for just you, with what little fuel you have left in the tank. Self-care is so very important.

I especially admire those who invest what little time they have left in their busy schedule in their family and close circle of friends. For those doing a great job in that area, I’m so damn proud of you. It’s not easy to give what little downtime you have away.

Speaking of family and friends, I love seeing all of the new relationships, the engagement photos, the wedding pictures, and of course, the baby pics. Starting a new relationship or growing one’s family can make for some of life’s biggest memories. I’m so damn proud of you when I see those smiles.

On the flip side of this, there are instances of loss. Death of a family member, a pet, or god-forbid a child. Divorce. Relationship losses. Sometimes mutual, sometimes one of the people blindsided and devastated. I see the pain and how much grief affects so many on a weekly or sometimes daily basis. I see you, and I’m so damn proud of you for grieving and moving forward, as difficult as it is.

To the writers here on Medium, Twitter, and any other avenue: I get the struggle. So many of us have such different goals. Some want to be published authors. Many spend hours upon hours doing content writing and seeking out better-paying gigs and opportunities. Every time I see a new book cover that someone has proudly shown off, or a staff writing position they’ve just been hired for, I’m so damn proud of you.

Maybe you want to be the world’s biggest blogger. I don’t know if I want to be the biggest, but I do know I want to be much farther along a year from now. I’ve been blogging for 7 months and have put together over 135 total blogs. Funny things, poetry, mental health, and relationship advice. I like a good political piece once in a while, to keep people thinking and to piss off the racist bigots.

I’d like for my blogs to reach a bigger audience. I’ve started from nothing and built up to over 2000 followers. I have a goal of reaching 10,000 followers on Medium in a year’s time. I’ll make it happen. With the support of all the wonderful people that I’m so damn proud to have gotten to know since I started my journey.

I read your work, feel your emotions through your writing, and enjoy our banter back and forth as we encourage and build each other up on a day-to-day basis. When I started my new publication about a week ago, about 100 of you asked to be a part of the writing staff.

Some of you seemed surprised when I gladly accepted you. I explained from the beginning that this publication would be accepting and inclusive. That we’d have fun, break a few rules, and not change up your articles at all, other than grammar, spelling, and formatting.

That’s because your work is YOUR work. It’s your voice, your thoughts, your creative process, and your child. Why would I presume to think that I could make YOUR work better? I couldn’t and wouldn’t. Because I’m so damn proud of you. Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs is off to a hell of a start because you’re all a hell of a group of writers and human beings.

If you feel that your journey in life has been difficult this year, or maybe even for a number of years, keep your head up. We all get by with a little help from our friends. Invest your time in a small circle of supportive friends, loved ones, and social media contacts and writers. People who will applaud and complement your little accomplishments that add up over the long term.

Avoid the negative people who only talk down to you. The ones who are always rude, and try to steal your dreams because they can’t achieve anything themselves. It’s been to have four quarters than 100 pennies, I always say. We can all be encouraging and be so damn proud of each other without all of that useless background noise.