I find myself thinking this more and more often so now I’m just going to share it.

I don’t live in rainbows and sunshine; my mind can be a dark place despite light all around me. I often spiral mentally into heavy places and people will tell me constantly that they don’t understand. Well, I’ve realized I don’t need people to understand really, I just need people to be with me, even in my darkness. Or especially in my darkness. When you think about it, no matter the situation, no one can truly ever understand because they aren’t you/me. They can imagine what we might be thinking or experiencing, and they can see how they might react in a similar situation, but no one can really understand our experiences. But what if instead on analyzing, understanding, or “helping”… people were just present while we experience what we are experiencing.

What if you did the same? Don’t fix. Don’t judge. Don’t understand. Be.

Be present. Be available. Just BE.

Sarah Deats

Sarah Deats is the Hope Inc. Stories Inspiration Engineer. Her goals are to make a connection with everyone that she can while building community, spreading hope, and sparking change. She believes that while life may not be easy, it is never lived alone.