to keep living

everyone is different. something strikes us one way or another, good or bad, and each of us have a different way of dealing with it. the people around us don't always understand why... but to us, its the only way. we don't know any other way of handling it.

we laugh. we cry. we get angry and take it out on the people around us. we seclude ourselves and refuse to let anyone come near us. we distance ourselves from others, or we cling tightly to the ones we love with fear. we let our minds go completely blank so we don't have to think about it... whatever it is. sometimes we hurt ourselves, in one way or another... and it gets worse. we don't allow ourselves to get up and so instead we just keep falling. we break down. we break down and... we stay down.

sometimes people comment, "he doesn't know how to handle it." to them, they are right. they are all knowing because they are the ones looking in on the situation... and they are the stronger person. they are stronger because they are not there. they are not experiencing the kind of pain, heartache, struggle, confusion, and dissapointment the person they are judging is going through. when we are little we are told to put ourselves in another person's shoes to know how they feel... easier said than done. in fact, easy to say... impossible to do. unless you have actually been there, until you know exactly what someone is going through, you are clueless as to how a situation should be handled. you have no right to say anything. you don't know.

everyone handles things differently. it is how they feel a sort of comfort... it is how they survive. whether it is "right or wrong" does not matter to them. and unless they are on the verge of doing something harmful... it shouldn't matter to you.
help them along, be the shoulder they can cry on, let them know you care, and if you do... it will be much easier for them to start standing again. but don't judge, love them where they are and try to be as understanding as possible, even if you have no idea how they feel.
and if they push you away... don't take it personally. for its a good possibility that they know you don't understand... and maybe never will. and involving people in something they can't comprehend sometimes makes things more complicated than they already are.

yes, everyone handles situations in their own way.
and that way... is the reason a lot of us are still here:
breathing, living, laughing, crying, and moving on.
life is hard. and we're going to break down.
but if we find a way to deal with the struggles...
even if it is "our way"... we'll make it.