We all post pictures to Facebook or Instagram smiling and looking happy, doing things and going places that are seemingly exciting. But for many of us, those photographs are not the truth of our lives. They just “seem” like they are. The picture is just an image, carrying an automatic perception. So many times you learn of a dire situation of someone you thought you knew and you say “I never knew she/he was going through anything”, or “Wow, she looked so happy”, or my personal favorite: “but she’s so pretty, what problems does she have?” I’ve learned to remember that EVERY, SINGLE PERSON YOU SEE, has some challenging or troubling issue their facing. I’ve learned not to judge by what I see or what I’ve heard, only by what I know.
There was a time not too long ago where I didn’t want to face another day. I didn’t want to get up or go anywhere or put on make-up (so you know it was a def-con situation). While everyone thought I was skipping through my bed-of-roses life, I had to come to a “one day” moment to keep myself from falling into total despair. And right behind that I had to continuously tell myself to “keep it moving”. Because as long as you’re moving, fear, doubt, worry and despair don’t have a chance to settle and take root in your thoughts. Now, whenever I feel down I say “one day”… and silently fill in the blank. It’s my go-to self-encouragement for long-term disappointments and struggles. It sort of reminds me of the movie “After Earth”, when Will Smith’s character would tell his son to “take a knee” every time he became anxious or fearful about something. I love the famous quote from that movie: “Danger is real, but fear is a choice.” But that’s for another blogpost, lol! Sometimes we have to just stop, close our eyes, breathe, and have our “one day” moment to get through the rough patches. Be encouraged. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Believe for your “one day.”
