Living Through History

What you learn while living through history

Be flexible. The way you are living now is not guaranteed. In fact, it’s almost promised to crumble. Promised that the easy times will go. It is when you are comfortable that things fall. After Summer is Fall. Once the sun goes down, it’s cold. Winter is coming. If you can’t handle change, you can’t handle life. You will be left behind. Don’t ever get left behind!

Be safe. Save the money. Tell your loved ones you love them. Dot your “i’s” and cross your “t’s”. When they say live each day as though it was your last, listen. Listen to those wise words and act. Your comfort is not guaranteed. Tomorrow is not guaranteed so don’t pass up happiness today.

Ask for help. Mental health matters. Though you may be screaming in your head, no one can hear you until you say the words: help me. It isn’t a weakness. We’re all hurting. We’re all aching. Therapy matters. We need shamans to help us navigate these difficult times.

Don’t expect answers. Don’t look for a cure, or for an exact answer. We live in the grey. There are no more simple yes or simple no’s No such thing as a sure thing. Looking for guidance is understandable but be prepared: This is everyone’s first time. Everyone is scared to. Everyone is trying to navigate through this once in century experience.

Don’t expect things to get better. It’s not that things won’t get better. But it’s in expecting it, in waiting for there to be a change, that you’ll find disappointment. The whole world changed in a sudden moment, but it won’t be that fast for things to get better. Act on your feelings towards change by educating yourself and becoming apart of the change. Don’t keep waiting for someone to fix the problem for you. Sometimes you are the person who needs to fix it and you don’t even know it.

The person I am while living in history

The great part about being young while living through life-changing events is that I’ve gotten used to the fear and uncertainty. Uncertainty became my comfort zone-It is when things are going well that I worry-I watch as those we look to for guidance fumble around as well. It brings me comfort.

I want to tell them, “Welcome to my comfort zone! It’s okay. It’s cozier than it looks. Don’t worry you’ll get used to it. The ground isn’t quite solid. It kinda sways. Like you’re on a boat. Some motions are bigger than others, but as long as you sway with the waves, you’ll avoid getting sick… for the most part.”

I’m more optimistic thanks to living through this. I can say I’m a pessimist and most of my words can sound like I’ve given up, but in my heart, there is hope. Even when I’m exhausted and I’ve told myself, “no more fighting. it’s time to rest now.” Still, I get back up again and keep fighting. Even when I tell myself I’ll move if things get any worse, I still find myself here. Living here pushing for things to get better. Because they will get better. At least that’s what I tell myself.

I have gotten really good at finding the diamond in the ash. I’m good at acknowledging shit as shit and accepting it as it is. This time we are living through is hard, but it’s worth living. Living in quarantine is shitty. But it’ll pass. We’ll be greeted with more problems once quarantine is over. Big problems that have the potential to break our system all over again. It’ll suck during the moment but we will get through it. We always do.