‘I don’t want to burden you’, he said, ‘with the stuff I’ve gone through and the thoughts in my head.’
The way I see it, there are 3 possible outcomes from sharing our struggles:
- I could feel better about my woeful situation if yours seems even less desirable in comparison. A reminder that someone has it worse than me could shine the light of gratitude on my dark and dusty corners. In turn, you might feel relieved by speaking your truth and being heard by me.
- I could relate to your current difficulties and find comfort in knowing that I am not the only one suffering a similar situation. We could lean on and learn from each other, bond through our pain, and thus help each other feel better through camaraderie.
- I could potentially provide invaluable insights to you if I’ve survived experiences akin to what you’re going through, which would help me feel better because I’d find new meaning in the shit life has dumped on me. I want to stop trying to perfectly arrange the flies on my manure pile and start fertilizing my garden instead. However difficult it is to talk about what we have endured, we will both likely benefit from sharing our shit, as we both love to garden.
Sage Burner Poetry 