It’s true what they say; you’ll never truly understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. There’s always someone who has it worse off than you do, but it doesn’t always appear on the surface. This lesson took me a while to fully understand. Sometimes I think that I still don’t. But it’s one of the reasons people view me as a person to whom they can come to for advice. We all have our adversities, our struggles, and our reasons for the days we just want to be left alone. Some people wear this strife on their sleeves; others keep it in, attempting to silence that which cannot be silenced.
I found that it isn’t until you allow yourself to be vulnerable that you watch peoples’ guards come down. It’s important to be wary when sharing your story with others, however. The need for comparison is nonexistent, although that is a conclusion that seems difficult to come to. For me, this was the biggest feat to overcome. One might think death is the most insurmountable of hardships, but there is no truth in that. To compare misfortune to misfortune is to be misled in life. There is no comparison of calamity; to do so is simply unjust and unfair.
But the pure thought of knowing there is someone who understands that life is a game that plays us is bliss in itself. We are dealt a hand of cards, one that we cannot choose to fold unless we find ourselves cowardly enough to succumb to the evil hand of the dealer. But with the support of another who simply puts their arm around you in an act of respect and understanding, it becomes clear that though life will move in mysterious ways, you are meant to keep moving and leading a life that you see fit; a life that others helped you find.