♛

Any one of your issues would be enough to be legitimately sad about but having them all at once is cosmically unfair *frowns* I wish I could swoop in, take you in my arms, and solve all your problems for you. But that would be doing you a disservice, because it would steal the feeling of satisfaction that you’ll get when you overcome these things with your own power. 

You know, and please don’t take this the wrong way, bear with me for a moment; this reminds me of those exasperated people you see in crowded public places like shopping centers, sometimes with a number of brats hanging off of them, or some other burdens, or they’ve dropped their enormous coffee-desserts across their shoes, and you see them gaze skyward, cell phones glued to their heads, reporting to whoever will listen: “God is testing me. HE’S TESTING ME.” They say it as if God was becoming a real nuisance, deriving some kind of sick pleasure in throwing obstacles at them. Do they deserve their obstacles? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Life is full of them, and you get them either way. Sometimes I myself am the obstacle when an evildoer meets their end.

Whether you believe in God (or Goddess!), a non-specific spiritual entity, or nothing at all, we’re all tested. It just rarely comes in the form or at the time we would prefer it to, does it?

I could cheerlead for you – in authentic uniform or in the nude – until the break of dawn, and you would absolutely enjoy it as long as it lasted, and the memory of it, believe me. But eventually, the joy wears away and you’re left with the weight of your obstacles once again.  

In my experience, you have to tackle each of your obstacles to earn your power back and have the wheels going your way again.

There will be times in your life when it feels like the whole world has turned its back on you. It happens. Better to get accustomed to pulling yourself back on your feet, dusting yourself off, and getting ready for another round. It’s better when we have supportive friends and family, but there were many times in my life when I was all I had. And I succeeded. It can be done. 

Let’s get down to brass tacks, as they say:

• Your health is not improving? Find out whether it’s in your power to fix it. Is it as simple as getting more sleep? Better hydration? You’d be surprised how effective sleep is in curing crankiness, I remember this from my devoted mortal bandmates, as I nearly drove them mad rehearsing them into sleep deprivation. If it’s something you can’t fix, find a way to get to a professional who can guide you in this regard.
• Best friends are excellent heartbreakers. They know your weaknesses and they know where to place the knife and turn it. If this is the end of that friendship, take time to heal and be glad it’s over, you’ll have that part of your life open for a new best friend when and if you’re ready for it. If this is not the end, take time to heal anyway, and try to heal with this person, if possible. But don’t let them hurt you again. Don’t become their punching bag. 
• The number of times my creative work I worked hard on was torn apart by critics is just… I’ve lost count *ragged sigh* I could never even start the count. It seems like every creative contribution I’ve made to anyone has unleashed harsh criticism. I take the constructive criticism to heart and have to let the rest roll off, otherwise I’d give up altogether. My creative output has always been mainly for myself so at the end of the night, as long as I’m happy with it, it doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks. Art, music, and writing are all highly subjective. But occasionally, someone will point something out in my work that might be rephrased to better capture what I’m trying to express, and it endears me to that person who dared to suggest the improvement, that they dared test my infamous short fuse. I am trying to take this kind of constructive criticism better, believe it or not. 

I wish you the best, know that I’m supporting you from afar.