Man in the Mirror

The toothpaste started to foam as I brushed each surface of my teeth. My eyes were blood shot red and just as flustered as my thoughts as I prepared for the day. This post is in honor to my non-profit organization, "Safe Haven". Have you ever spoken the words to yourself, "One more day"? I find it very interesting how words can be so powerful in different context and mean nothing major in other moments. "We all deserve love and to be happy" said a beautiful soul who had some powerful words that had not yet found there context. One of the biggest actions you can take in the journey of self-improvement is figuring out how to love yourself. Unfortunately, in the world we live in today there will be times when you do not feel love from anything or anyone. These are uncomfortable times and persuades so many individuals on a every day basis to make decisions. Calling that person to keep you company that is no good for your life, giving your child that extra snack that you know they do not need, buying that expensive item that you just have to get because it makes you feel better, forgiving that family member who will never apologize for constantly gaslighting you because they know you will always be there regardless of how they treat you, letting your pet go against all of your training for the day, getting that legal or illegal drug in your system to numb your feelings. Independently, these actions may seem minor and very well may be, but they also can range from minute to major decisions depending on the perspective. Just like words, actions also require context to determine significance. My heart pounded as I rushed over to my mother as I observed my aunt attempting to lift her up from the floor. She had fainted at our front door after hearing the news of a loved one whose young life had come to an end. "What happened?!", I squealed attempting to get the frog out of my throat. I was fourteen years old and I had life figured out pretty much as every teenager does. I mean, I was turning fifteen later that year and cell phones had made their mark right along with social media so of course I did. As the toothpaste started to ooze out of my mouth, I noticed that I had been in the mirror too long and I was going to be late for school. Spitting out the residue, I spoke the words to myself, "One more day". The words I wish the millions of individuals we lose to suicide could utter to themselves. In order to show up as the best version of ourselves, one of the first practices we need is self love. Loving ourself enough to understand that maybe we do need to speak with someone who will just listen that we do not know or will have no judgement. Safe Haven has various missions, and one of them is to give those who are in a crisis a platform to have a multitude of reasons to give themselves one more day. A place for our veterans who are affected by this greatly, our graduate students who are overlooked in society with this issue as a whole, those single middle aged people who have not felt love in a while, the foreigner who has felt like an outcast their entire life trying to make it in a place where no one looks like them from a place where no one accepts them for wanting different. The point is, it does not matter who and/or why. The goal is to get the person in the mirror to tell themselves, "One More Day!"