Humans

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got til it's gone."
-Joni Mitchell

"Blessed but still complainin'. Want the sun when it's rainin'. Everyone's always sayin', they wish they had more."
-Ramona Smith


Our spirits must know something that our humanity doesn't. Our spirits seem to long for peace, prosperity and joy. Yet, the human experience often gives us the opposite. We are supernatural beings having a human experience. I feel like we all originated from a source of tranquility and love. Otherwise, why do we long for it as humans? Why do we get so comfortable with happiness and balance? Why do we feel sad, devastated and hopeless when the human experience becomes overwhelming? Why do we wish to escape, disappear or runaway during hard times? There must be something greater that we are yearning for. A place where our spirit longs to return...

I've been thinking about both sides of my middle. That means that I recognize where I am right now in my life, and I see how good it can be and how much worse it could be. I see the promise of a brand new car, a high paying career, financial stability, a beautifully furnished apartment, and thriving health for my son. I see how simple things can become if I stay on the path that I'm on. On the other hand, I see where I could be. I could be homeless, sleeping in a car or on the streets. I could be sick
with a disease, or other illness. I could be without a beautiful child. Things could be so much worse.

I am so grateful for the life that I have, because I am blessed. I am blessed to have such an amazing support system, even as a grown up with a child. Grown ups go through hard times too. Adults make bad choices that lead to negative circumstances. Mature adults face unfortunate situations that may have been no fault of their own. I often think of people who won't help out an individual because they feel like the person in need shouldn't have made a certain choice. They'll refuse to help someone in need because the person is a grown up who should've made more logical decisions.

I'm glad there are people who have more understanding of this human experience. People like my godparents. When my son's father and I broke up, I called them. At that particular time they had just moved into a new home, but there were already 5 other people living there. My son and I needed a place to stay because I wanted out of the situation with my son's father.

They could've said, "No, we don't have any extra room for you two. You're a grown woman, you need to figure it out on your own. Go to a shelter, or try to work things out with your son's father. You should've never stayed with him all this time in the first place. You knew how he was, now you have a baby with him. This is your fault, so you figure it out."

Instead they said, "We're on the way. Stay as long as you need to. We'll make room for you and your son." They allowed us to stay there for two years. They took us in and we became another branch of the family tree. They never treated us like outsiders or made me feel uncomfortable. I remember one day I asked my god mother if I should get a job or go to school. She told me to go to school. I took her advice, and earned my first degree while living with them.

What an amazing opportunity for me to take advantage of. What a sacrifice from them to support my son and I while I finished my studies.

We all go through hard times. Other humans help and guide us along the way.

I'm so grateful for all of the humans in my life who have lifted me up when I was down. To all the people who never questioned my past mistakes or choices, nor did they base their decision to help me on how they felt about my personal shortcomings.

Thank you. Thank you for taking me into your home. Thank you for letting me borrow your car, or for giving me a ride. Thank you for sending me that check, or giving me that money. Thank you for the food, the movie, the flowers, the prayers. Thank you for the conversations, texts and Facebook posts. Thank you for coming to visit us in the hospital. Thanks for coming to visit us at the apartment. Thank you for helping me, loving me, and accepting me for who I am.

We all need each other. You really never know what someone is going through whether self-inflicted or not. Try to help someone in need today. Not just financially. You'd be surprised how much of an impact a genuine smile can have on someone's day. Smile. Give. Love.