In June of 2014, I found out that my best friend would be moving. Now, to some of you this may seem like no big deal, but to me it was the worst thing that could happen. That coming fall, we'd be going into our senior year, finishing out our high school career together... But her moving meant that some of the details of that year would change.
Little did I know that just a few months later she would tell me something that would become a motto for us both in the coming years. "We can do hard things." This may seem like something that's obvious; of course we can do hard things. Life is hard. Well, yes. Life is hard. But sometimes you need an extra reminder that even when life is hard, you can make it through anything you're presented with. A new school year, a move (or a few), a loved one passing away, stress or anything and everything in between.
I've come to realize that we bring ourselves down the most. We forget to believe in ourselves, be positive and use our weaknesses to find our strengths. We are human and bound to make mistakes. Rather than helping ourselves out, we only bring ourselves down to feel worse than we originally did. We live in a crazy world full of negative things happening everyday; the least we can do is be kind to ourselves and remind ourselves that we are not perfect, and that nothing good can just happen overnight.
This simple quote has gotten both my best friend and me through many, many hard times, even if they seemed little and stupid. A bad day at work, a difficult course in our first year of college, a break up, saying goodbye to each other... You name it, it got us through it all. I'm not sure where exactly this quote is from, who originally said it or if they know the impact it has had on others, but it is one of my favorites.
Recently, my best friend went off on an 18-month long mission trip (as I've mentioned in previous articles). I knew this was going to be a really hard and trying time for me. I wasn't quite sure how I'd get through each day without talking to her, even just with a simple text or goofy Snapchat. But, I've reminded myself of the quote and how it's gotten me through so much in the past, and how it will continue to do so.
As a dedication to the quote and as a constant reminder, last week Thursday, I got the quote tattooed on my foot in my best friend's handwriting. (Big shoutout to Greg K. on doing an awesome job! I'm so happy with it.) Now, wherever I go, no matter how close or far I am from her, I will always be reminded that I can do hard things. (Feet are gross, I know, but I wanted to share a picture!)
So now, I'm here to tell you that yes, even you can do hard things. Whatever is troubling you right now, I promise you that you will make it through it. If that means counting on your friends, family or whatever higher power you may believe in to do that, so be it. You can do hard things. Remember that. You are not given anything in this life that you cannot handle or make it through. Sure, it may seem hard as hell, but no one ever said that life would be easy. Remember to take each day at a time. Nothing in life comes free or easy. It may take some time and a lot of work, but I promise you that you can make it through anything. After all, we can do hard things.
