sometimes

Sometimes I write for me.
Sometimes I write for them.
Sometimes I write for you.

This one is for you. You know who you are. I shall title this post "Sometimes" because sometimes literally means "occasionally, rather than all the time," and that thought should give you hope that these times will quickly pass, and hopefully, you will soon find peaceful solace.

Sometimes life is exquisite.
Sometimes life is discouraging.
Sometimes you finish all your chores before lunch.
Sometimes your chores pile up for days because you can't find enough motivation to just finish one.
Sometimes there's a draught.
Sometimes there's too much rain/snow.
Sometimes you feel beautiful and sexy in just a pair of old jeans and a tshirt.
Sometimes that same pair of jeans reveals a well-loved abdomen and worn-out thighs.
Sometimes you feel so satisfied with who you are that you start to see real personal growth.
Sometimes you think negatively, and you wallow in that murky water of self-disapproval.
Sometimes the ones you love help you feel inexplicable joy.
Sometimes the ones you love disappoint and leave you questioning everything you ever believed.
Sometimes goals are reached.
Sometimes goals fail two days after they are uttered.
Sometimes pain forces you to dig deep and fight a new day.
Sometimes pain bruises you so deeply you begin to think there might not be a new day.
Sometimes one day goes by in a blink.
Sometimes one day drags on for an eternity.
Sometimes you wake up and realize you have everything you've ever wanted.
Sometimes you go to bed and ponder on how your life isn't at all what you thought it would be.
Sometimes you receive answers.
Sometimes all you hear is dull static.
Sometimes people amaze.
Sometimes people deceive.
Sometimes babies live to babble and coo and smile all day long.
Sometimes babies die prematurely and you find yourself burying a soul you never got to know.
Sometimes cancer goes into remission.
Sometimes cancer takes our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons and friends too soon.
Sometimes you fall hard into love.
Sometimes it's hard to find that love anymore.
Sometimes faith burns bright like the Olympic torch.
Sometimes faith dims into faint embers.
Sometimes you run marathons.
Sometimes you walk them.
Sometimes your body feels whole and complete.
Sometimes you struggle with a physical ailment or itch that makes your bones ache.
Sometimes you enjoy an abundance of wealth.
Sometimes you live pay check to pay check.

Wherever you find yourself on this journey in life, I hope you know that life is not always picture perfect. With all the social media outlets available to us, sometimes it is easy to think someone else has life just a bit easier than we do. Facebook and Instagram would certainly like us to believe that anyway.

Let me reassure you that every person I have ever met has his/her own delicately crafted struggles. I have them. You have them. They have them. My heart has been so heavy these past few weeks as I've listened to my friends express one or more of the above situations. Life can feel unrelenting at times. Right now it's beating up some of my closest allies.

I am doing my best to rally behind my friends. If I could, I'd run to each friend and hug them as they cry. I'd wash each dish in the sink. I'd put lotion on their itchy skin. I'd remind them walking is just as good as running. I'd hold their hand as they express sorrow over a mother or child dying too soon. And I'd give them all the money in my bank account. If only.

But because I cannot do all these physical things, here's my attempt to remind you and them of the few things this life has taught me: You are enough. You matter. You are beautiful even if you think you have a couple of pounds to lose. God hears and answers, even if static tries to clutter the airways. This time will pass; it always does. Your heart may break, but it will heal. That one I know all too well.