Dear The Band,
I totally feel ya.
I cry when I read your posts - tears of joy, tears of happiness. I get your glitter stuck in my hair. I mourn for the loss of your children. I am angry at your abusers; I regret what you have done; and I celebrate what you have overcome. I respect your decisions, won't mock your lifestyle, and wish we all had it better. With every post, I try my best to think how I would respond, react, or recover. We are all different, but we are all together.
The Band is here for us.
Aunt Becky, Jana, Dana, and Crystal are all here for us.
We have each other. Even if we are strangers on the internet, we share this one thing in common; and sometimes this one thing is enough. And if it's not, please reach out. We want to be here for you. We think you are worth helping, because you are one of us. See, you're not alone.
Sometimes I don't know the right way to respond to something. Sometimes, I know that what I'd like to say seems a little trite, and maybe you've heard it before. Sometimes it seems like the right thing to say, and it's not. Sometimes the words escape me. Or I'm just not a person who can send only digital hugs. Or I need a day or two to think about it. Sometimes I couldn't finish reading because the emotion was too great. Sometimes I just don't understand.
But I'm in The Band, and when I'm not here, I'm still with you.
YOU ARE LOVED.
And some notes for when you can't reach me:
Stop. Think. (repeat as necessary)
If you know yourself well enough to know that you might be experiencing some "technical difficulty" (that's code for "some shit's gone terribly wrong"), whether as the effect of external or internal factors, please refrain from making any major life choices until you are operating at what you consider your normal operating status. This includes getting a puppy, quitting your job, committing suicide, and many, many other choices.
But please leave abusers and addictions.
And rescue those who cannot, or will not, help themselves.
Do what you believe in. Believe in what you do. Even if you have a really shitty job, do your best. If you have a child who doesn't understand all you have sacrificed, risked, or suffered, love that child as best you can anyway. The world needs more people willing to do their best.
Give cashiers your best smiles. Tie your shoes. Eat a good breakfast. Try. Try as hard as you can as often as you can. Your best is as much as anyone can expect from you, and it is as much as everyone deserves.
I love you. I don't even know you, and I love you.
Love Always,
3xEmonkey
PS. I do have BiPolar II. When I'm not suffering from it, I try my best to make up for how I behave when it does affect my life.
