Pain is inevitable.

I grew up fortunate enough to have a childhood, a family, unconditional love, and support. To be able to act your age is such a blessing but honestly, it's overlooked. When I was 7, my job was to go to school, play at recess, color my coloring books, play with my neighbors, and eat my vegetables. When I was 14, my job was to maintain decent grades, hang out with my friends, and participate in sports if I wanted to. I didn't have to grow up too early. I was a kid and there were never any days that I had to step up and take on a role shaped for a much older and more mature individual. I had parents who took on all the ugly burdens of life for me. It was they who paid the bills and they were the ones who worked from 9-5 and sometimes even later. I was lucky enough to be somewhat blind to the real world, just as we all feel kids should be. A child should never have to worry about being homeless, or going hungry. A child should never have to worry about having their heart broken or their ability to trust hindered, and they surely should never have to worry about pain or suffering. Think about it, were you lucky enough to escape the real world? Were you able to escape pain? Not all of us can do that. I used to think that my lifestyle was the norm. I know now that that isn't true.

But, where are you now? As we grow older we all realize that life gets really hard and it happens faster than we want it to. Bad things happen to great people, and things no longer always go our way. We can't sit back and watch everything be done for us, because well that is just not how it works anymore. We all now have a responsibility to contribute, to pay dues, to help others, to help ourselves, to stay healthy, to stay sane, and to stay above water.

In high school I remember hearing horrible things happen to my classmates. On one occasion, my classmates' mother died. I thought to myself, I have no idea how I would be able to go on after losing a parent. On another occasion, I would hear about divorce, and I told myself that I never wanted that to happen to me and my family. I would hear about all kinds of deaths happening around me, but at this particular time in my life, nothing of that nature had ever happened to me. Why was I so lucky? Isn't pain inevitable? I convinced myself that if something extreme was going to happen to me or my family, it would have happened by now. Boy was I wrong.

No one lives a perfect life. We all go through struggles, and eventually, we all form open eyes about what surprises life can really hold. We all reach points where we don't think we can go on anymore. Just remember to brace yourself for what could happen and always stay eternally grateful and humble because pain affects everyone and we all learn that it's truly inevitable.