I recall in my younger years, early teens, riding the waves with my
good friend. We were surfer dudes. Ok, so it wasn’t hanging ten off of the
coast in California or Hawaii, it was in Lake Simcoe of Sutton Ontario. Styrofoam
boards, moppy hair, wildly bright swim trunks!
We never even stood on the board. But it was still fun
riding the two to three foot waves.
I wish all of the waves in life were like that. Fun. But I
suppose, some are necessary. Some others, most of them maybe, unfair.
Life for just about everyone I am sure presents its
difficulties, and it can be challenging to get through most often when people
don’t seem to understand.
Financial issues; social issues; family obligation; work;
discrimination. The list can pile up.
Life can be a bi$#h. Cruel even. And these are the waves we
must ride.
But that’s just it, we ride them. We deal the best way can.
I’m not sure when or why it became shameful or embarrassing
to step back, to seek help, to say I can’t do this and cry. Being put in a place to help others is great, but that doesn't mean we are not allowed to look out for ourselves or ask for some assistance now and then. Misunderstandings
happen, sadness occurs. It is life. We ride the waves, and hopefully, somewhere
along the line, we figure out that good times or bad, it is part of a journey.
Sticks and stones hurt. Being made to feel irrelevant hurts.
And while it may be a part of life, it shouldn’t be; and it sucks.
These are the waves. Some enjoyable, some not so much. But we
ride them. Because in the long haul, just like those three footers on Lake
Simcoe, it is part of life. Sometimes we see the worth at the onset, sometimes it
takes a while. But if we decide to go through, to endure….
I like to think that wearing my heart on my sleeve is a good
thing, but maybe it is not.
Because I don’t know if others see the world the
way my eyes do. Maybe they in fact do, and I am confused. Life in general, it
is hard; I just keep trying to ride the waves. Survive. What else can I do?
