All of this came to me sitting on the roof a while ago, thinking about how small and insignificant people really are in this massive space we call life. Looking up at the stars, seeing how small they are had me awestruck. But it made me realize that all of those small things add up to our universe. And in turn, all the small things about us, what we do and what we say, add up to big things. They create the inner workings of our character, only shelled by the outward appearance. The shell can hide what people can’t see with the naked eye. That shell not only hides but it protects just as much.
Shells, in the literal sense of the word, are hard. they keep creatures that are vulnerable safe and they are sturdy against the elements. Over time they wear but they stay strong through a lot of things.
In my short 24 years of life, I have been luckier than some. And yet, there are times in my life where I haven’t been as lucky and I had to be strong. I used to believe that all the bad things that happened to me and those close to me meant that someone had to be at fault in every single situation.
But I realized that sometimes, bad things happen to good people.
People are sometimes in the wrong place at the wrong time, and everything that happens in life has a purpose whether it’s to teach a lesson, open or close a door, or lead us to people who were meant to be in our lives as well.
I used to set goals for myself years ago that I couldn’t even imagine today. I used to have a picturesque view of what adulthood would be like, but a lot of that has changed for me. Someone once told me I need to stop trying to fix things or make everything perfect. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Perfection can never truly be achieved; rather, it is what you make of yourself and how your actions are perceived by others. Don’t try to meet someone else’s standards just because the grass seems a bit greener over there. Don’t define yourself based on where someone else places you on the social strata. Their life might not be as great as you think.
What I’m trying to say is that no matter the picture-perfect life or situation we may have planned for ourselves, chances are you will find out that glorified perspectives on life usually stop at a dead-end road. It’s all about how you conduct yourself, how you interact, how you face life’s endeavors.
Take everything that life throws at you in stride.
It’s how you took all those small particles and compiled them under your shell. In the end, we are all just one of those small, insignificant specks building a legacy for ourselves. And if we can say we’ve done that, then that means we’ve fulfilled our purpose to some extent. That is satisfaction in itself.
Featured image via Ryan Moreno on Unsplash
