There is both joy and sadness in life and both can happen in extremes. The devastating days make me think the “bad days” are not so bad. The good days have me dancing on a cloud.
How will you cope with the events that challenge you to the core, crush your heart like glass?
In Hollywood, they cope by going out to the bar. Or by eating pints of ice cream. How good are these long term?
You don’t want to hurt, to suffer. It’s not fun. Is it avoidable? Some think so. But when they try to numb it, it simply leaves the person treading water. And then the pain that’s been pushed away snaps back like a rubber band on steroids.
Are you thinking about today as just another day to get through? Are you thinking it will never get better? Are you seeing only the bad things that happen and ignoring the blue sky with those pretty clouds that look like cotton balls?
Adjusting how we see things takes practice. If we let our brains focus only on the awful things that happen, we miss the beautiful things that punctuate our lives and then our brains get in the habit of wearing blinders.
A little slice of peace is not always a big thing. Sometimes it’s just some pretty clouds. And allowing yourself that moment to take it in is the one motivator that can allow you to move forward.
USA Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call 988
USA Crisis Text 741-741
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for Veterans call 988, press 1
USA Crisis Line for LGBTQ Youth, call 1-866-488-7386
USA Crisis Text for LGBTQ Youth 678-678
USA TransLifeline call, 1-833-456-4566
USA Suicide Prevention Lifeline & Chat for the Deaf or Hearing impaired. Or dial 711 then 988
United Kingdom Samaritans 116 123
Australia Crisis Line 13 11 14
Canada Crisis Line 1-833-456-4566
Canada TransLifeline 877-330-6366
International suicide hotlines
The pretty clouds get me through the day. I am doing a book of Whitten’s photography and others, called “Whitten Skies” and I think you just gave me the idea for the forward…❤️