Over the years, I think we can all say we have had to go through something difficult. Something that made us doubt what we knew or forget part of who we were. Times when we weren’t sure of what we had become or how we got there.
But to come out on the other side, there must have been something holding us up. Something or someone giving us hope when things were dark. We found support in the little things that made us smile even when it felt like you might not be able to for a very long time.
When you’re little, it probably didn’t take much to set you off. Maybe you couldn’t find your favorite toy. Maybe your friend didn’t play with you at recess. These things might be trivial to someone older now, but back then, those things made up a big portion of what we cared about.
Running around at recess with friends and playing with our favorite toys was our form of therapy. We got a sense of normalcy and comfort from these things.
As we get older, those things matter differently to us and it might even make you laugh at what made you cry when you were little. You’ve grown and you and your world has changed.
But with age comes responsibility. We changed and so did our problems. We started caring about jobs, cars, relationships, image, and what our future might turn out to be.
As things got scarier, we had no choice but to face them head on. The friends we had starting meaning more than they did before. Having a secret meant something more than it used to and friends became the people we turned to most. The problems we now faced had evolved but we had also begun to find the people in our own little parts of the world that we can turn to no matter what. No doubt we’ve all gotten it a bit wrong every now and then. But because of that we know we also get it right every now and then when we find the friends that stuck around even though we messed up.
Sometimes we find there was someone there for us all along and we didn’t even know it. They were always there. Always a part of us like a shadow. Maybe we took them for granted or sometimes forgot we had them. But nonetheless, they were always there. They gave us strength through presence. They reminded us we are still seen and we still matter. We count as people even when we might feel like we don’t.
Such a small show of support can go a very long way and you probably never even realized it. A touch on the shoulder or the squeeze of a hand. These little things add up.
Unfortunately, the people who care about us and show us love and compassion no matter how hard things get, can’t always be around. But even with distance there is proof of love. Even with distance we can find strength for ourselves through presentations of love and kindness. A text here or a phone call there. Modern technology has made being connected easier and thanks to that, we can feel remembered and seen from all parts of the world. We can feel a human connection from afar.
It is not the same as face-to-face interaction but it gives us a chance to connect when it isn’t possible to be face-to-face.
There are those that we are close with but at the same time, everyday strangers commit acts of compassion and empathy to one another. They find strength in their own individual humanity and offer it to another around them. Things like holding a door or helping someone walk their groceries to the car are small and simple acts of consideration that we see in movies but have often been lost in modern-day society.
Nonetheless, there are still some who do such things and provide strength through kindness to someone they don’t know. Life gets hard sometimes. But there is strength in numbers, no matter how small. Our so-called numbers can grow even through strangers.
Just one person all on their own can make someone’s life even just a little easier. They can remind someone they’re seen and loved even at a hard time. In our youth we learned what kinds of human interactions are positive and how they make us feel. We are now capable of using that to help others and help ourselves.
It is the holiday season and this can be a wonderful time of year, but also a very difficult one. Even when the holidays are not coming to pass, things can be difficult.
Reach out to the quiet shadows and the boisterous friends in life that make you smile in odd moments or make you laugh until you cry. They are your numbers and will always be there for you.
Be the stranger that brightens someone’s day. Show them the same love and compassion friends and family have shown you. The whole world is a part of our strength. We learned to love from one another and now we are able to give back to one another because of it.
Piglet: “How do you spell ‘love’?”
Winnie the Pooh: “You don’t spell it. You feel it.”
All gifs sourced from Giphy.com.