“I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends.”

I’ll level with you, life throws some big lemons; and fast. Some are bigger than others, more sour, harder to juice, et cetera.

But that’s not what this blog is about. It’s not about whining about problems or how hard life can get. It’s to talk about how to take those awful things and say, “Damn it, I’m going to create something wonderful out of this. Watch me.”

Sometimes that’s easier said than done. Sometimes all you need is a good push in the right direction; something to inspire and encourage you.

I won’t get in to all the details, but I have major trust issues. To the point where I question every nice thing people do for me, convinced there’s an ulterior motive. I don’t express my feelings to other people easily, and when I do, it can be very cryptic, as I’m sure you can see here. But in the last year or so, I’ve been working on that.

I have put my faith in people, two specifically, and also letting a few select others in. The main two have been a great help; more than I ever could have asked for. Without them, I wouldn’t have gotten over some of the hurdles I’ve faced recently.

I’ve realized that there are people, regardless of how close you are, that are there for support. They give the support that you offer in return. Give and take, the lesson of life.

Sometimes, it’s just an encouraging message; other times, it’s immediately picking up the phone when you’re upset and talking you down from whatever upset is going on.

Support.

We all need it at some point, no matter what your situation. At the end of the day, we should all support each other.

Now, stick with me on this, as I know there will be a good few of you rolling your eyes and muttering, “hippy-freak” under your breath. Stay with me.

No matter what you believe, what your sexuality is, your political party, whatever, the majority of us have been taught that people should help other people.

If you see an old lady fall over and struggle to get back up, you help her. If you see a little kid crying and unable to find its parents, you help. It’s instinct. But why isn’t it the same when we see someone who needs support or emotional help? We’re quick to offer casual words of support, but we never delve into situations and really go out of our way to say, “Here, let me help you with that.”

People are always complaining how the world is broken and fragile and how there’s so many problems (believe me, I often reiterate these complaints), but what if, as an alternative to harping on about the world’s problems, we decided to say, “The world may seem broken, but I’m not. I can fix this.”?

What if we acted like the pieces and attempted to solve the puzzle?

“But there are too many obstacles.”

“But I’m just one person.”

STOP.

One person is all it takes. Do you know how many movements began with just one person?

One is all it takes.

I’m not saying you have to be the next Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. or something.

But don’t think you can’t be them either.

I’m not a huge Beatles fan (please don’t let an angry mob descend on me for that), but they were right. “I get by with a little help from my friends…” In order to get the support you want, you have to give it.

Sometimes, that involves a bit of trust.

Is it scary? Yes. Terrifying.

Is it hard? Yes, definitely. It’s a difficult and daunting task.

But you have to try sometimes. As people, we are puzzle pieces…but we are always changing; always taking the next step to figure out where we fit, how we fit, et cetera. But to figure that out, you have to act. It’s all fine and well to sit and think about the problems and such, but to get up and try to change yourself, to change your situation, or to just support someone else, that takes gumption (yes, this word has been in every post so far, but there is a method to my madness, you’ll see).

I’m a work in progress, but at least I’m “in progress.”

Key word: PROGRESS.