This is the second time I’ve used lyrics from Dashboard Confessional for a title of a blog. There’s just something about their words that always seem to speak to me, offering me something that I relate to. It’s always great when you find that connection in words, whether it’s lyrics, blogs, or other pieces of art, because it gives you something that helps you feel less alone on whatever journey that you are going through. One of the things that have inspired me to become a writer is the understanding and awe of just how powerful words can really be. At some point, your words will hit someone in just the right moment and you can have a small but profound impact on their day or even their life. You can help them through that difficult time as a parent or know that grief and loss is something you can relate to. You can help them know that while the rest of the world wants to hate you for just being you, there’s at least some person who’s there on your side. Words matter.

I pride myself in the art of stoicism. That is something that has helped me be the reliable person that I am. I can, probably as unhealthy as it is, compartmentalize practically anything. This helps to separate any emotion out of decisions that I need to make in order to make the rational choice. Because at the end of the day, I will always do the rational thing. The right thing. Will I like it? Not always. Will I perform my duties as expected of me? Always. Grin and bear it. I will do as the the title of the post suggests: “I will bend and not break. Or I can break and take it with a smile.” Is that the healthiest approach in life? Probably not. But, I never once lied to my readers to convince them that I am always in a great mental state. In fact, if anything I’ve been completely honest in the fact that most days I barely have it together. That’s the reality that most people live in though. Just getting by.

Life isn’t pretty. It’s challenging. You’re not going to like everyone that you meet. That’s okay. Not everyone is going to like you. Not everyone is going to think like you. Something that you see as perfectly reasonable or even something that you think is completely obvious, may not be so obvious to others. Everyone looks through life with a different lens. The problem is that you think you can just put on someone else’s lens and think you’re going to see things as clearly as they do. More often than not, you just get blurry vision and an awful headache for trying.

What’s the point of all of this? Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe I just wanted to let people know that it’s okay to break. Maybe I want people to know that it’s okay to bend. Some days you are going to have it and other days, you’re so far from having it that you’re locked in the bathroom eating Flamin’ Hot Doritos and rethinking your life choices. I just want you to know that it’s okay. Every day is a new day to try to pull your crap together and if you don’t, try again tomorrow. Even if you barely made it through the day, the good news is that you still made it. You survived whatever it was that tried to take you down. I think that’s the most important thing.