An Uphill Battle With A Flat Tire

In all efforts to overcome the gloom which seemed to be overtaking me, I fastened my baby in his stroller and headed out for a walk. It was a last ditch effort to remain positive after a seemingly long period of living a façade. I noticed the stroller tires were low on air, so I set out to find a way to fill them up.  I headed to the gas station because I knew they had a compressor.  After dropping two quarters in the machine I tried over and over to get it to stay on, until finally my time was up and the machine turned off. Now instead of having a tire which was slightly low on air, it was completely flat and the only way home was uphill.  In that moment, I lost my will to be positive.  Thankfully not permanently.   Suddenly and unexpectedly I was hit with the realization -- I am not the only one experiencing this.

There are so many people who are so dear to me and are experiencing their own personal battles.   Like I often do, they also put on a façade or a front.  Some face the crushing news of the loss of a loved one, or the ongoing ups and downs after experiencing a loss.  Some are facing the pains and challenges of infertility.  Still others face mental or emotional challenges including but certainly not limited to: eating disorders, depression, bipolarity, pornography addictions, or substance addictions.  Some face challenges of raising children alone.  Others face the challenge of overcoming a criminal record or the stigmas placed on people who have one. Some face financial distress, the list goes on and on.  

The fact of the matter is: any person may experience the effects of multiple issues which are compounded by worry and distress.  All people experience challenges from multiple angles and from different standpoints.  This is why it becomes challenging to know how to help the ones who are close to us.  All we can do is our best to reach out.  There is no need to walk on eggshells -- just a need for sincerity.  If your efforts to reach out are truly sincere, then it will show.  Why is it something that we fear so much?  Why do we often resort to do nothing at all rather than offering a simple act of kindness?  Often simple and sincere offerings go much further than extravagant ones.  Heaven knows there are many times when I resort to do nothing at all, but I don’t want this to become a habit.  Personally, I want to be on the lookout for those who are experiencing an uphill battle with a flat tire, whether it is a close friend or a stranger on the street.