“The truth is that life can be very difficult at times. There can be a lot of pressure to keep it all together, to be smart and beautiful, to be so good and perfect. But sometimes we don’t have it together at all. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we don’t feel good or look our best. Sometimes things are not good at all, and we feel miserable, lonely, or depressed. If you have lost your way and feel down, that feeling belongs to you. If you feel miserable — it’s yours, and no one should take it away from you. It’s important to feel your feelings. Maybe things honestly aren’t very good at all right now. Maybe you have good reason to be depressed, and the last thing you need is someone telling you to be happy. But one thing you do need is at least the respect from others to let you sit with your valid feelings. You don’t always need a cheerleader, just someone to simply be a friend by acknowledging where you actually are, and how you really feel. Real problems can’t be fixed with a motivational poster, a cute quote, or a pat on the back. When you are in your pain, it does not matter how intrinsically special you are, or how beautiful life is, or how precious each moment is — if you don’t accept and respect your suffering, it isn’t going anywhere. Submit to your pain; don’t suppress your pain. If you can sit with your pain, listen to your pain and respect your pain — in time you will move through your pain.” —Bryant McGill