Are you a living like a walking volcano?

Things are weird. Can we agree on that? And in the midst of that weirdness is an ever evolving and changing landscape. With that uncertainty comes a wave of anxiety and worry that I’m not sure this generation has ever experienced. Sometimes it feels like we don’t even live day by day; it’s become hour by hour in some cases. We do our best to put on a happy face and we sound like Ross from “Friends” (insert high pitch voice): “I’m fine! It’s fine! I’m fine!” However, when those words are uttered I have literally said this to several people the past six months: Are you trying to convince me or yourself?

Whatever side of the aisle you fall on this – whether you think we have overreacted or underreacted; shut down too much or didn’t shut down enough; pro-mask or anti-mask - the thing that we can come to common ground is the fallout from this is real and we are ALL facing it. And the biggest battle I have witnessed during all of this is the battle for peace and our mental and emotional health.

Have you ever said this or tried to live this? “I’m just gonna fake it ‘til I make it!” Can I tell you something? Fake it until you make it only works until the faking it breaks you. You can only hold the facade up for so long. We're so stressed and worn out all the time because we're using up all of our energy to hold up the image that we want people to see rather than using the strength to fight what's really going on inside of us. We tend to airbrush our image and photoshop our failures.

What I see are walking volcanoes everywhere I go. Do you know what a walking volcano is? It’s bubbling under the surface and at any moment, it's going to explode! Why? Because we internalize everything. We don't talk to anybody. We just keep it down because we use excuses like this: ‘Well, people are busy. I don't want to bother them.” I call shenanigans! “What are they going to think?” There are 7.8 billion people on the planet right now and that is the number one prison that people live in -- the fear of what other people will think. It is the fear of what other people think that keeps you in isolation and away from the health and the community that you need to be free. A quick story:

A man was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you." The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So the rowboat went on.

Then a motorboat came by. "The guy in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and He is going to save me. I have faith." So the motorboat went on.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and He is going to save me. I have faith." So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.

 Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in You but You didn't save me, You let me drown. I don't understand why!" To which God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect? 

Many times when we are struggling, we are expecting something extravagant to be the solution but often times, it comes in the simplest form. It can be in the form of a compassionate friend with a listening ear. While I understand it may be difficult to open up, it is much better than the alternative. The danger of isolation is much greater than the risk of vulnerability. Far too many people’s lives and purpose have been cut short due to not reaching out for help. Please don’t let that be you. You matter. We need you!