To Read, Perchance I Am Sad

Hey, there’s a whole world out there, man! I mean, not in the sense that I’m demeaning your feelings— ‘cause that’s as valid as things get— but there’s stuff going on. There might be a little girl giggling like mad as she hugs her mom, despite the heavy clothing they wear and the sweltering heat of the Middle East, their fingers still create dimples in skin as their arms tighten around each other. There might be two friends trudging through snow on a mountain when one friend shoves the other and laughs while his friend shouts harmless threat and profanities while he struggles to get back up. There might be a gangly teenager wrapped in blankets on a bed surfing the internet, eyes wide with attention, but may not be ready to face the world yet. There might be a perfect day with no predators with the sun shining bright and the sand the warmth of an embrace when baby sea turtles break free from their shells, and every last one of the makes it to the sea. There might be a dog rolling in long grass on his back, tongue lolling out and his bottom wiggling as his fur absorbs the heat and cradles him. And then there might be an individual, a single individual who is not any of these things but is here and alive and is utterly validated whomever they might be. Because that person is alive, that person is still alive, and for that reason, is a success.