If you’re reading this, take it one step at a time; I promise you it does get better.
Just a few months ago I thought that I had finally hit rock bottom. I had lost both of my grandmothers, shattered my left leg, spent every week in a new hospital, and lost so many of my friends. I was completely and utterly alone, and I thought there was no up from there. I was so wrong.
I’ve grown to realize that, in life, there really is no rock bottom. Just when we think we’re done, life just throws us back to where we started. The beauty of that statement? “Us.” I still spend two days a week in the hospital, and my leg still hurts more than ever. Why am I happy? I am happy because just three months ago I couldn’t even walk. I was in a wheelchair and I kept thinking about when I could finally walk again, when I could run, and when I could jump. Throughout all of that, I missed one very important part: all I needed to do first was stand up.
The key has always been taking it one step at a time, and by doing so, we overcome our pain. We have all felt pain in one way or another- whether it be physical or mental. The Starbucks barista who hands you your lattes on your way to lecture, the bus driver who drives you from North to Central Campus, and the professor who grades your exams- they have all faced different types of pain, but they all have one thing in common: they overcame that pain.
The burden of our pain never gets smaller; instead, we just grow around it. We do it by finding joy in the smallest things in life. Celebrate getting out of bed today, celebrate that A on your assignment, and celebrate overcoming every single thing that you have gone through. Your survival rate is 100%. You have successfully overcome all of the pain and misery that you thought you never could, so why is this time any different?
One day, all the little celebrations will change your life. You’ll wake up and your coffee will taste better, the sun will feel brighter, your heart will feel lighter, and you will realize that you really did overcome everything you’ve gone through. But it was never just about overcoming: you grew. You learned. You survived. You are so much stronger than you think.
Celine F., University of Michigan Class of 2027
FOLLOW @IFYOUREREADINGTHISUMICH TO STAY UP TO DATE ON NEW LETTERS AND EXCITING UPDATES, OR FOLLOW OUR NATIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
AUTHOR CONTACT
This author has opted to allow readers who resonate with their story to contact them. If you would like to speak to the author of this letter about their experience, please use the form below.