Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

I just read yet another inspirational meme on Facebook … something about strength means never giving up. Bleeaahhh to that or pretty much any “never” talk.

Sometimes when I’ve fallen, I do give up. It took me months to learn to ride a bike because falling *hurt* and I didn’t want to hurt. I gave up. Until one day a neighbor noticed I was zooming down the street perfectly balanced. He sent me in to visit his wife, removed the training wheels and sent me on my way. Then walked up the block to fess up.

I needed to feel safe in order to find my balance, but I also needed someone to pay attention and support me.

It’s okay to fall. Okay to cry about it, even a little whining.  And it’s okay to ask for help to get back up on our feet. Falling sucks and we don’t have to be stoic to survive. Resiliency is forged as much from tears, anxieties and lost hope as it is from overcoming adversity.

I’ve given up, sometimes for a short time and sometimes forever. I “fell” out of grad school because it was eating my soul. Yes I sort of wish I had the degree, but I still have the knowledge. And when I completed another grad program 5 years later, I knew that the fall had done me good.

Be careful how you wield those inspirational memes.