For all of us who have ever said, “pretty good.” when someone asked how our day was, but what we really wanted to scream was, “horrible!”:
Every nightmare has a beginning, but every bad day has an end. Ignore what others have called you. I am calling you “friend”.
Make us comprehend the urgency of your crisis. Silence left to its own devices, breeds silence. So speak and be heard. One word after the next, express yourself and put your life in the context – if you find that no one is listening, be loud. Make noise. Stand in poise and be open. Hope in these situations is not enough and you will need someone to lean on.
In the unlikely event that you have no one, look again.
Everyone knows Pain. We are not meant to carry it forever. We were never meant to hold it so closely, so be certain in the belief that what pain belongs to now will belong soon to then. That when someone asks you “how was your day”, realize that for some of us, it’s the only way we know how to say “be calm”.
Loosen your grip, opening each palm, slowly now – let go.
Quotes are from the spoken word poem “Instructions For a Bad Day” by Shane Koyczan.