Dear You,
I want you to know, first and foremost, how special you are. And I don’t mean it in the way your parents do when they boast about you to their friends and your family, because that always seemed forced, even though I’m sure they meant well.
No, I want you to know how you light up the world with your smile when you show it off. So please, show it off more. I want you to promise me this, even when it gets hard, which I know it will and probably still is right now at this moment. You use more of your muscles when you smile, so stretch it out so wide that it hurts and remember when you grow older and see wrinkles around your mouth that you got them from smiling!
I know people are trying to reach out to you to tell you that everything is going to be alright and that they’re there for you. Please – and I can’t stress this enough – don’t push them away or shut them out. You may not want to hear it, but those people are there for you and would do anything to help you.
So, give them a chance even when you don’t think they’ll understand your pain. You’ll never know if you don’t let them in.You’re feeling alone right now. So alone that you don’t think anyone can see the pain you’re going through.
I want you to know I see you, okay? I can see the pain written all over your face because I know the look of someone trying so hard to pretend like they’re alright when they’re crumbling on the inside. You’re not alone, you have people in your life, and even people you didn’t see coming, who are more than willing to reach out and be there for you.
I know you feel like you can’t get through this. I know it seems like your world is coming down on you and you can’t find the strength to get back up. You’re spending your days crying in your room, in the shower, while doing laundry, and you can’t eat, sleep or find the ambition to go outside and breathe in the fresh air. Do you want to know how I know this? Because this is exactly what I’ve been doing too. I’m on the verge of tears right now because I’m going through what is probably the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with in my life right now. To be honest with you, I’m barely hanging on by a thread.
I could sit here and tell you in a matter of hours, days and weeks everything will get better. That you will eventually be able to look back at this moment in your life, and maybe even laugh about it. But for those who can’t look back yet, that’s alright too. I’m on your side. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look back and laugh at what I’m going through. But I know I’ll one day look back and tell myself how proud I am for making it through when I wanted to give up.
So, hang in there. You’re important to this world and have so much talent and so many ideas to give. You have a light inside you that, if it were to leave this world, there would be a slight darkness that hangs over everyone.
Please. take one day at a time. Everything will eventually fall back into place, so just keep going. I know you want all the answers now, but I can’t give them to you, I can’t even give them to myself. I’m with you though, right along the way. We will both get through this.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Written by: Kirstie Devine