Four years have passed since we first heard of COVID-19, some weird disease in another country. That, of course, turned into a worldwide pandemic that changed everything. We called it “the new normal,” even though nothing about this was remotely normal.

Unfortunately, we continue to experience life-altering events, but we can’t name it or put a label on how we feel. Global conflicts, political vitriol, social unrest, the economy, and the environment. Condemnation and fear and rage. It piles up on us and wears us down. The worst of it? We feel like something is wrong with us because life is so. very. difficult. While everybody else looks like they are breezing through life, career, and home.

Here’s the truth: you are not alone in your struggle. Everyone feels the weight of what is going on in our world, our nation, and our individual communities. The problem is that we cover it up.

Every single one of us. We are an obese, drug-addicted, and in-debt co-op of people. We avoid or ignore the reality we face every day, hoping to forget that to be alive is to struggle.

How do we find our way out of this isolation?

The first step toward hope and into healing is admitting that normal is difficult.

You are not alone, my friend.
Not now, not ever.

We need to raise our hands and say, “Yes! I’m struggling!” and talk to each other about our experiences. We don’t need to pretend we are not affected by this “unprecedented” time in our world. (How many times have you heard that phrase?) We need the support of friends and loved ones now more than ever.

We need to stop hiding and start talking.

“Tell your story. 
Shout it. Write it. 
Whisper it if you have to. 
But tell it. 
Some won’t understand it. 
Some will outright reject it. 
But many will 
thank you for it. 
And then the most
magical thing will happen. 
One by one, voices will start 
whispering, ‘Me too.’
And your tribe will gather. 
And you will never 
feel alone again.” 
― L.R. Knost

You are not alone, my friend. Not now, not ever. Just be brave enough to whisper into the darkness. You will hear the voices of friends and loved ones say, “Me too.”

And we will get through this together.