02/28/2025: Being Human

Recently a friend of mine opened my eyes to something I still struggle to do in my relationships, and that’s to just simply listen. I have a strong tendency to turn to frustration because I can’t help the people I care about, and as a result I tend to try to give advice or find a solution when sometimes just hearing what someone has to say helps them more. 

I know I do this because I care so much, and maybe that’s why I never thought it was a bad thing. But then I think about all the times I wished someone would simply hear me out so I could vent and commiserate for a while with someone who just gets it. And then I start to see that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, or at least not the best thing. 

I can definitely stand to work on this minor flaw I have, and I think my loved ones would be better for it. I just want them to know that I love them all so much. It feels like a lot is going on around me that involves the people in my life, and so my mind is full of contemplative thoughts, hopeful as well as anxious. It feels like I’m anticipating unwanted news, but desperately hoping I’ll receive better news than I’m bargaining for.

All I know is that being a human is hard, as my friend also said. It’s overwhelming to think about all the endless things that are required to better ourselves and our lives, and it’s hard to convince ourselves that a day at a time will be enough once we reach the foot of that insurmountable mountain that we have to climb and realize that it will be the hardest thing we’ll ever try to do in our lives. But if we can remind ourselves that we’re only human, and therefore just try to be human first and foremost, the rest will eventually start to come together. 

There’s a magical concoction of patience, grace, determination, self-love, and gratitude that is unique to every individual, and that’s the journey: figuring out which ingredients - and the amounts of each - are required to make the best version of ourselves as we climb to the top of that mountain. It’s a daily uphill battle that a lot of people never attempt, because the straight and narrow path appears to be the most sure and promising one. But these people may never experience the learning and the growth that comes from doing the difficult stuff, that comes from waking up each day and telling ourselves that we’re worth the hard fight. 

Only we can stand in our way, and only we can choose to grow and fight for the things we want and deserve.