Yo, Listen Up. Here's the Story.

[taste_is_sweet]

Something happened last night that ended up getting me pretty angry. I'd love to go into details, but I won't because I don't think it's fair to copy my comment here. But this much I can say.

You guys are Awesome. I mean that. I was thinking last night and this morning about what you've all been through in your lives, both past and present, and the list I came up with was staggering:

--Crippling depression
--Rape
--Chronic (and possibly life-threatening) illness
--Immediately Life-threatening illness
--Child abuse
--Life-threatening violent crime
--Being a single mother trying to make ends meet
--Soul-eroding jobs
--Crushing disappointment
--Deaths in the family
--Addiction
--Disability

And I'm sure there's stuff I've missed, or don't even know about.

But it's not that you've all suffered, or are suffering, or have had to deal or are dealing with real hardships that is the point here. The point is that you guys are survivors. You've survived and you're still surviving and doing things to help yourselves and help others. Even if it's taken months or years, none of you have let anything bring you so down you couldn't get up again. None of you have given up. You're all still here and fighting, sometimes struggling, every single damn day to get better and do better and feel better and get your lives to where you want them to be.

And that is just fucking amazing. Bless you all. Seriously. I'm so glad to be in your company.

Comments

[rucksackjack.livejournal.com]

Am I among the ranks of You Guys, despite your not knowing me? I have experienced one or more items on that list.

[innana88.livejournal.com]

Okay, so now I'm incredibly curious as to what happened. I can't help it! :)

Whenever I hear this, I'm torn between being really grateful and wanting to say something like, "Well, the alternative was to roll over." I know that there are many who can't keep on going (don't feel like they can) so I don't want to dismiss it, but it still feels odd. I know I had a choice somewhere in there, but I don't feel like I did, you know? I just kept going. I think this is just me feeling really vulnerable when I think about the magnitude of it all, so I minimize it.

I'm thrilled to be in yours, too. :)

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thank you for that list! It is an honor to be in the company of fellow survivors of various types!

[desert-rose.livejournal.com]

*hugs*
Thanks for caring, and for being such a wonderful person!

Thanks also for friending me! I'm very happy to have you on my friends list!