 |
          |
 |
When life sucks, let go and pick up the pieces
- By Caiti Barski
- Trail Staff Writer
- Life really sucks sometimes. OK there, I said it. I meant it too. More than every once in a while I’ve wondered, “can it get any worse?” Usually it does. I liken it to those scenes in a movie when a character asks if it could possibly get any worse after the love of their life has left them, their dog was ran over and they just found out they were adopted. And then of course it starts to rain, not only to rain, but dramatically downpour just to answer back, yes. It can and will get worse. The character is then not only lonely and devastated, but also drenched from head to toe, thus making them not only miserable on the inside, but on the outside as well.
The last few weeks I have felt rained on as though the epitome of bad times has soaked me clear to the bone. After a chain of unfortunate events befell me, all I wanted to do was hide under the covers and listen to sad love songs all day. Unfortunately my bladder would not allow me to do so and thus I found myself in the bathroom. After taking care of business, I of course washed my hands. After scrubbing long enough to sing my ABCs through twice, I caught my reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror. I looked at my tear-stained cheeks and ridiculously puffy eyes and said out loud “Woman, pull it together.” Then I continued to think that I needed to plaster on a perma-grin, pretend like I was invincible and face the pain with bright eyes and thumbs-up signal. Then another thought crossed my mind. It went something like this:” You know what? No forget that, I am hurt and I feel bad, really bad. I’m not going to get anywhere pretending to be what I’m not. I’ll just randomly break down when someone asks me to pass the salt, if I try to hide all these feelings.” So you know what I did? I cried the hardest I possibly could, letting all the regret and fear clear out of my system through my tear ducts and breathy sobs.
One giant headache later, my sniffling stopped and I felt… better. Somehow letting myself go completely was exactly what I needed. Once I reached breaking point there was nowhere else to go but up, just as that age-old cliché reminds us. I guess all this ranting and raving is just to leave you with a piece of advice: It’s OK to feel like crap, it’s OK to cry. Even you tough guys go ahead and cry. Because sometimes it feels good, sometimes it feels damn good. After you’re done, take a long hot shower, take time to eat a good meal and take on the day. Don’t let those bitter emotions outstay their welcome. Acknowledge that they are there and then get them the hell out. No one wants to waste more time than necessary in a negative state. Life should be about living, no avoiding. If we avoid the real problem because it seems too difficult to deal with, it will not only stay there but continue to grow. Let it go so you’ll be able to face the world and all its adventures.
- Trail Staff Writer