I'm not 100% sure how this hedgehog will tie into this post. I haven't really planned out what I'm about to say. I'm just going to wing it and hope I reach a semi-plausible and uplifting conclusion. But, come on, isn't your day already better looking at that adorable face? If not, well I just can't help you. You need more professional help than I am licensed to provide.
I've fallen on some tough times recently. I tore the cornea in my eye (not just scratched, actually tore; as in needed corrective surgery to put it back together) which is excruciatingly painful. It's pretty hard to look at a computer screen (which just goes to show how dedicated I am to my small handful of followers). All of my immediate family members have also suffered their own tragedies and challenges recently, but their stories aren't mine to tell. Just know that the Pirrone family can use all the prayers it can get.
We all fall on tough times. Some days feel more dire than others. In those times it can seem impossible to see a way out of the jungle through the tangle of trees and vines. Life is hard. It's overwhelming. But we can't just quit. We can't allow ourselves to be defeated. We all have our own coping mechanisms to deal with it. For those Christians out there I point you towards several verses that have helped me.
Psalms 34:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Romans 8:37 "No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (There. I managed to tie in the hedgehog. Good for me.)
For those of you who do not subscribe to Christian dogma, this is where friends come in. When I found out I had cancer I was terrified and felt completely lost. I still have no idea what my doctor said after she gave me the diagnosis. Once you hear the word "cancer" everything else fades out and it becomes you and this disease and nothing else. I learned very quickly, though, that I was not alone. That I had dozens of people there to support me and help me fight the good fight. Sometimes that meant hugs and tears but sometimes it just meant getting me out for ice cream and a movie (Thanks, Tiff. You're the best.) Sometimes we simply need to humble ourselves and ask for help. Often that is the hardest thing, but the most necessary, that we can do.
Why, then, is it so dang hard for me to ask for help? Not just for me, but for everyone. Maybe because when you're in the midst of something, your heart is burdened and you don't want to pass that burden on to others. It's all about pride. So I'm going to say this, and I'm saying it to myself as much as to all of you. Get over yourself. Your friends aren't just there for the crazy dance-all-night, one-tequila-too-many, whose-pants-are-these times. Not the good ones, at least. The good ones are there for both the ebbs and the flows. They are there to hold your hand when you are lost and your heart when you are broken. When you take that away from them it's as if you're saying you don't trust them with your well being.
My best friend lives 200 miles away from me. That's almost as painful as a torn cornea (almost; a torn cornea is pretty bad) but I know that I can call and cry for an hour and she'll be there. I am safe with her. Where she is, I am home. But it only works when I ask.
So, please, ask for help. Don't give in to the weight of the world. Challenge yourself, but ask for help along the way. No one knows how to do anything perfectly the first time around. Don't expect to change the world today. Just expect to change YOUR world today. Do that, and you'll accomplish more than you ever imagined. Even Mr. Hedgehog agrees.
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