CryAMeRiver

by CATHERINE TYSON, MSW

So life has got you down in the dumps and you have invited everyone you know to your pity party. Your parents didn’t love you and continue to let you down. You were abandoned as a child. Your best friend ran off with your boyfriend in high school and your favorite pet just died. Sad, yes, life changing, maybe, hopeless, never! Why because you are reading this and that means that you have been given a new day to do better, get better, and be better. Now don’t get me wrong, the pity party may just be what the doctor ordered; A nice tub of Haagan Daz ice cream , a tear jerker movie and your buddy that will listen to you moan about your sorry life the whole night if need be may be the best thing to do at that moment in your life. But get this, it is only a moment in your life and should be journeyed through as quickly as you journeyed there so you can get back to living. More probably if you are stuck, it is because you are sitting in some mess that you are choosing to not get out of. When you notice that your buddy no longer wants to hear your stuff, let that be a wake up call that it is time for you to be singing a different tune.

Life is what we make it and yes yours may have had its ups and downs but every one of us has a story, some a bit sadder than others, but nevertheless we all have a story. When we look at others and start to burden them down with the problems in our lives it would surprise us to know the stuff that they might have endured are currently going through but often times we are too busy complaining to even wonder or ask them. There are folks that we say “hello, how are you” to, and 1 hour later we are still standing there hearing about how tough and terrible things are for them. What happens the next time we see them? We walk fast the other way to avoid them or hide so they don’t see us because we are simply tired of being dragged down by their mess or their constant sob stories.

Don’t be one of those folks!

Find that friend, that quiet place, get on those needs and cry that river and then move on. The quicker you do this the better! Forgive your parents, they probably did the best that they knew how and you are now responsible to fix yourself. Get another pet, life is about transition and change where pets die and for Heaven’s sake, your friend is not your friend if she ran off with your boyfriend and you are better off without those two unscrupulous people in your life anyway. You can even thank God that you dodged that bullet and count your blessings!

So dry your eyes, fix your hair, and face the world. There is more out there ready for the taking and waiting on you to get it. Armour yourself with a smile, some hope, a nice does of integrity and a heart full of prayer and you will be well on your way.