We all fall down sometimes

You, me, your friends, your family…that one person who you think is so epically flawless and put together….
Every single one of us struggle. Yes, some more than others, but at times, all of us. No one is immune to it. No one skates through this life without collecting their own set of scars and cuts and bruises along the day. And no one should be expected to.

So often, we see it as shameful. To struggle, to ask for help…to admit to anything less than perfectly idealistic strength.

We see that as the goal, as the thing to strive for, as the marker. But it’s so far from that. It’s so harmful and unrealistic to have these expectations that we just need to be…perfect. All the time. We can’t be. Yet, still, we hold ourselves to these unrealistic standards, and these unrealistic expectations set upon us by society.

That VERY SAME society who they themselves struggle in secrecy as well! Why the stigma? Why the shame? What’s the point, and where does it get us?

I struggle. I am not perfect. Everyday, I wake up and I do my best. Whatever “my best” looks like that day…that’s what I give. But it isn’t perfect, and it isn’t always pretty.

I am not under the impression that there are people out there that don’t struggle. Are you? Because if you are under that impression…I’d encourage you to give that a second thought.

People are more inclined to look you in the face and lie to you than to actually admit to “weakness”…admit to struggling…admit to needing help. Or someone to talk to. And I think that is so fucked up.

It gives the rest of us a job…the ones like me, and possibly you if you agree with me. It gives people like us an opportunity to show up. And to understand. To be there for the people who fell victim to the lies of the world that tell us that it isn’t okay to be broken sometimes.

It’s up to me, to you, to all of us, to show up. To…just be a person to someone who needs it. Be a shoulder to cry on. Be the arm that helps someone up off the ground when they can’t get up themself yet. Offer an ear without the judgment.

We ALL fall down. Some of us stay down longer than others. Others fall in the shadows and in the background, and no one ever sees it. But they still fall. They still need our support and our love and our presence.

Every single person on this planet has an opportunity for greatness every time they simply show up for another human being. Just by being a friend, and offering support and love and togetherness…this world needs more of that.

If you’re struggling right now and you think you shouldn’t be, please don’t think that way. You’re doing the best you can. Reach out. Lean on people. Let the people in your life love you. I promise, you might be surprised by who shows up.

And if you’re the other type of person who is doing relatively okay right now, I encourage you to step up and show up for those in your life that might not be. Even if you think that everyone is fine and great right now…they might not be. We all have our battles. But some battle silently, afraid to exist in an honest space, when that’s what they so desperately need.

It’s okay to fall down. It’s okay to ask for help. And it’s okay to be a little bit broken sometimes. You’re worth the honest conversations.
Please, don’t be afraid of them.