Well guys, the past 9 days (and change) have been some of the weirdest of my life.
I've had to deal with my main personal-life issue, which I am currently trying to work through.
I've had my delivered mail opened and read, by an unknown party.
I've had an individual from Canada contact me, asking why I mailed them an empty envelope. I have no idea who this person is, I've never tried to contact them, and I have no idea where somebody got a copy of my return-addressed envelopes.
My family Thanksgiving may be cancelled due to nonsensical drama.
I've had further complications in other challenges.
and more.
But, the reason I am writing this is not to complain, not for attention, not for anything of the sort. I am writing this as, hopefully, a source of 1. comfort and 2. perspective for others going through hard times right now.
1. I am doing quite well. The soul-crushing feelings I was expecting haven't arrived. There is one key reason for that: the incredible outpouring of support I've received from a wide source of outlets - most of them completely unexpected.
The number of brothers on here alone who have reached out to me is staggering. To listen, to chit-chat, whatever. I've received, and continue to receive, support at school, work, and other parts of my life.
I am not alone. I have yet to feel alone. Much of the burden has been lifted from my shoulders due to incredible peers, friends, and family. If you're experiencing challenges in your life, I hope you are able to accept such help from others. The hardest part for me was accepting the help and support.
2. Perspective. These problems are real. There is no doubt about that. That was the challenge of the above part: to accept that these are real problems that need addressing, and not pretending like everything was A-OKAY or unworthy of attention.
However, I got a healthy dose of perspective just a few minutes ago. One of my friends found out there is a good chance they have cancer, and are awaiting more tests. My problems, and those going through similar ones: life drama (that's simply the term I'm using), certainly heals with time. Others are not so lucky. This certainly doesn't make everything instantly better in my life, but it helped lessen the weight further. It gave me a perspective I hadn't been considering, and I know everything is going to work out. Time will overcome all of my current challenges, and it will do the same for those of you experiencing similar hardships.
I hope this even marginally helpful for somebody at some point.
Once again, thanks to everyone who reached out to me. I apologize if I haven't responded. But, I am extremely grateful for the good you are doing in my life.