"Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on" - OK, I might take you up on that today!! :)

It’s hard to ask for help. It’s really hard. But once you’ve done it you realise everyone is happy to help. They aren’t judging you. Amazingly. They aren’t.

It’s hard to be vulnerable. It’s really hard. But the reality of it is, that we just are. We all need a bit of help sometimes. It’s ok to reach out for it. Because, if we don’t reach out, we just stay sitting in this deep dark pit. We just stay there trying to scramble out. Occasionally we get close to the top, but it’s easy to fall back in again.

I think the only way to climb out properly. Is if someone helps you up.

As annoying as it is that I need help and I can’t actually do this alone. I’m glad that there are people who are willing to help pull me up. I’m thankful for those people who are surrounded by light, because at the moment, they aren’t in the ditch. That’s not to say they have never been in it. In fact, mostly they will secretly tell you (once you’ve opened up about needing help) that they themselves have been in there. And in fact, they are proud of you:

a) for recognising you are in there
b) for wanting to get out
c) for having the courage to ask for the help you desperately need
d) for finding the strength you will need, to pull your self out of there

And they then urge you to ask for help (next time) before you stumble back in there. Looking for the signs that there is a ditch up ahead. Putting up some WARNING, DITCH AHEAD signs so that next time you can avoid it. Next time you can just swan on by and wave at the ditch as you chuckle to yourself how clever you were to put that sign there. Just mind that you don’t fall down another one at this point!! J Sometimes when you think you’ve got all the ditches sign posted some sneaky one comes up behind you!! (Probably when you are walking backwards and laughing and waving to your friends about how clever you are).

But that’s just kinda life really… things happen that you can’t predict… things come up that you didn’t know were inside you. Or that you thought you’d worked on before. Turns out you don’t generalise that well. And that’s OK. And you just have to have the strength to keep on pulling yourself up so you will get out of that ditch. Because MAN is it good when you are walking around in the sunshine. It’s glorious.

Glorious.

And it beats everything you’ve ever felt. So don’t give up. Reach out your hand. And let someone help you pull yourself out of there. Don’t think you have to do it on your own. You don’t. I don’t. We don’t.

We all know the song “lean on me, when your not strong”

I need to lean on people now. You might need to as well. But when the time comes they can lean on me. It’s really hard for me to do the leaning part (I’m much better at the being supportive part) cause I’m so used to doing the caring role. I’m so used to being the strong, independent one. I think it’s also a more accepted role in society. But realistically, if I don’t lean, I’m never going to get anywhere from here right? I’m also not going to be able be the leaner or leanee (oh wait, I meant that like employer, as in the person who you lean on) because I won’t have the capacity because I’ve never got myself out of the ditch. So then it’s like two people scrambling around in the ditch. Sure, you might be able to give them a foot up. But they might accidently push you over as they try to push themselves out and you end up face planting the mud. Still stuck, and really dirty. And probably feeling a bit used and betrayed (even when that’s really not what the other person meant to make you feel).

Anyways,
Point? It’s OK to ask for help. It’s better then OK. Asking for help is one step in the right direction. Means you are actually ready to try to climb on out. Which is AWESOME. It gives you that little nudge you needed to keep pushing yourself and realise what you are made of.

Onwards and upwards
Not backwards and downwards
The roads we will travel
Are littered with obstacles

But anything’s possible
With friends who can guide you
With ideas in your head
And strength, in your heart

With fire in your soul
And passion in your heart
The roads we will travel
Will be filled with joy

Joy from a depths
Joy from the heart
Joy from our souls
Who’ve passed through much sorrow

- Eagle 20/4/2010

Good luck in your travels my friends. Enjoy every second, and use the hard times to learn about yourself and others.

Xox Peace and love to you all