I've always said that the most powerful words in the English language are, "You are not
alone."
This one is for those that don't know, or have forgotten.
Somewhere right now there is a young girl sitting at a dinner table, trying to think
of an excuse to get up and go to the bathroom so she can make herself throw up the meal
she's just finished eating.
Somewhere else, there's a young boy sitting in a bathroom stall, bawling his eyes out
while he tries to keep the razor blade steady.
Halfway around the world, there's a woman sitting in the corner of her bedroom, trying
to block out the voices long enough so she can take a shower.
There's a man jumping from strange bed to strange bed, each morning greeted by a different
face, hoping that the next one will be the one to break through and make him feel something.
To that boy in class trying to hide his wrists from his teachers, and the girl huddled on
the bathroom floor, crying because she can't stop herself from vomiting, to the woman who
can't grip anything because her fingernails are chewed to the point of bleeding, and the
man who wishes that for just a moment he could genuinely cry, or smile, or feel ANYTHING.
To the kids who stay up at night crying because they can't figure out why they're not like
everyone else, and to those who feel like they're slowly drowning because they're too
busy hiding that secret part of them from their loved ones, I see you, and you are not
alone.
I know that doesn't make everything alright, and I know it doesn't bring your mother, father,
husband, or wife home at night, and I know it doesn't stop the voices in the back of
your mind telling you that it's all your fault.
I know that these words are not a cure-all, and they're not going to change the world,
but you need to know that you are not alone.
You are special BECAUSE you are not like them.
You are a superhero.
You belong to a select group of individuals who are forced to hide their secret identity
behind a mask, and THAT is nothing to be ashamed of.
They will never understand the kind of superpower that it takes for some people to just get
out of bed in the morning.
They will never know the daily struggle that it takes for some to simply function.
And that's okay, because not everyone is meant to understand what that means, but what it
means is that you are beautiful.
You are worth it.
You are stronger than you think, and you are stronger than they could possibly know.
I know that when they tell you that "everyone struggles," or that you just "just get over
it," all you want to do is punch them in the throat.
But just remember that just because THEY don't know, does not mean that you are all alone.
It may not get easier, but I promise that it gets better.
So keep on putting on your cape every morning and saving your world one heroic act at a
time.
And don't ever let them make you feel like forcing yourself to get out of bed, or take
a shower, or eat, is not a heroic deed.
Because for some, there's no such thing as a simple task.
And that is unfair, I know.
But when you're at your lowest, just remember:You are not alone.