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I Am (Not) Strong

I am very certain that people who commit suicide don’t unalive themselves because they don’t want to live. Staying alive, however, is pretty tough when the tunnel seems to be very dark, with no sign of any light at the end of it.

Nobody really talks about how difficult it is to stay running this marathon called life, because life surely ain’t no 100m sprint, it’s a marathon. A never ending one at that. You have to keep running until you take your last breath.

We glamorize the destination, and a lot of times minimize and dismiss the courage it takes to stay in the race.

Phrases like “you re so strong” or “you’re not alone”… I mean yes, I get it. But how do you explain to someone that its going to get better when everything is looking dark and there seems to be no way out.

I am not alone yet whenever I find myself in a dark cloud, I am always alone. Try reaching my generation through a phone call (myself included), its most likely not going to happen.

How do you explain to me that I am not a burden to you when each time I express myself, you dismiss me. You minimize my feelings and in the end, I regret ever wanting to open up to you in the first place.

“You are so strong” Bullshit. I am definitely not strong. I don’t even want to be at this point.

Am I strong or am I just holding on because I have child. The same child who drains me, is the same reason why I haven’t let go all these years.

I am not strong. I don’t want to be.

I have broken down way too many times than I can count just in the space of one week yet no avenue to let it out because the same people who assure you, they’re there for you are the same people who desert you when the going gets tough, suddenly you find out you are the only tough one who keeps going.

No, I am not strong, and I really do not want to be. At this point.  

I had a major meltdown. Sweaty palm, shaky hands, heart beating fast. BP rising, shaky legs, couldn’t stay still, just pacing around my apartment. Almost the whole night.

When all the tears had dried up and I finally summoned the courage to look at my reflection in the mirror, I asked myself, is it worth it. I mean being alive is becoming quite expensive.

No. I am not strong. And I really do not want to be. At this point.

I am a delicate flower and I want to be treated like an egg. An egg that can break at any point so please be gentle with me.

I am expected to wake up in less than 6 hours, put a smile on my face and function. And of course, I will function because that is what it takes to stay running this race. I will function because I cannot afford to not function.

I would tell you to read Isaiah 41:10 but I haven’t read it in a while. Maybe I should, and so should you.

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The “Pick Me Up” I Didn’t Know I Needed

This is a bragging post about my toddler’s emotional intelligence. I don’t know if I’m doing something right here, but my 3-year-old does a fantastic job at noticing when I need a pick me up.

A few weeks ago, out of nowhere my son comes to me, gives a hug and says he’s proud of me. One of the many times I got to hear the words I didn’t know I needed. It was just a random moment. Now, I realize that he may also just be saying things he remembers or just repeating things I normally tell him but in that moment I didn’t care. He was proud of me and that was all that mattered to me.

2020 was a year of change. Almost everything that I had known practically collapsed and I had to start over, as 2021 is coming to an end, some things are about to change again and these changes have been waying heavily on my mind, this week especially.

So yesterday, after I had put him down to sleep and we were laying in bed, I was not necessarily sad, but I was in my own world, I had been the whole week. I was deep in my own thoughts when he just reached out to my face and in German he says, ist ok mama, ich bin doch da, meaning It’s ok mummy, I’m here. Then he casually turned to his face away from me and at some point, he fell asleep. But he didn’t say anything else to me after those words.

At that point, I literally cried me a river. Even though, he can’t do much, he let me know that he was there for me. The fact that he articulated it meant everything to me because these are words that we most times don’t get to hear. Yes, you may be aware that friends, family and lovers are there for you but as adults we get so caught up in our own world, facing our own responsibilities and fighting our own battles that we sometimes forget to let our loved ones know that we love them and that we are there for them. We assume they know our feelings.

I don’t know how these changes that are coming are going to affect us, but I know for a fact that it’s just him and I through thick and thin. Ok that sounds a bit dramatic, but you know what I mean.

After crying me a river, I went on my knees, I prayed about everything that had been on my mind. I listened to my son’s heartbeat reminding myself that no matter what happened, I had survived everything that I had been through and that I would do the same with everything that is coming. I reminded myself that I had come this far not just to come this far.

Sometimes you become so attached to people that you forget that the actual power is within you.

I don’t know what you’re going through, but we will all get through it. I’m rooting for all of us! So, here’s a little pick me up, Life is tough but so are you darling. And if you’re reading this, it means that you’ve survived 100% of your bad days, go crush some more and come out victorious on the other side because I am rooting for you. You are not alone. I love you; God loves you, he didn’t bring you this far just to bring you this far. You’re doing great. Just chin up and read Isaiah 41:10.

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I do not give myself enough credit

30.12.2020, 23:47pm. Perfect times for the brain to wander and reminisce on life. Maybe I am feeling like this because the last day of the year is just 10 minutes away but Moses Bliss- Too faithful has been on repeat for hours now. This song means a lot to me, this song has distracted me from a lot of dark thoughts, this song has given so much strength in times of need, this song has reminded me why I must hold on, no matter what. Simply put, this song has gotten me through most of my darkest days.