Battles Worth Fighting

Be kind to everyone you meet, because you never know what someone is going through.

Your battles are worth fighting. You are worth fighting for.

We take many things at face value. If we see someone who projects joy, humor and lightness, we assume they are getting by just fine. We let them be. Sometimes, it is hard to understand that an individual is living in deep brokenness, and still capable of wearing a smile on their face 90% of the time. We only check in on those who carry their brokenness on the outside.

My heart breaks every day when I think about how much kindness Michael offered the world. How he hid his battles so well. How his greatest fear was to become a burden. I never could have imagined existing in a reality like I am today, and it is a cruel one. I have a heavy heart, and a lump in my throat as I write this. Suicide is a rising epidemic.

 

We need to create a culture where we have the freedom to talk about our deepest pain. We must fight to create the space to validate those feelings, and not cause those who ideate suicide to shrink away in shame. We do not need more empty solutions- we need to talk. To listen. To validate, and to be present for others, instead of taking them at face value.