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Yesterday, I was talking with a young friend at the alternative high school where I work. I love this young man with all my heart and today he is having surgery on his knee. He needs this surgery because he was t-boned by another driver earlier in the school year. If I am honest, I was a little afraid of this young man the first time I saw him in the school. He is a big dude and he always wears his hoodie and I didn’t really see him smile… or even really look at me the first few months I was at the school. But now…

Honestly, I could not love this young man more… he is smart, sensitive, caring, compassionate, driven, talented, and just a really, really good overall person. He makes this world a better place just by being in it! And he is scared… He did not want to have to have surgery… He did not want to go through the process… He did not want to be out for months and months doing rehab… He did not want to lose all the financial gains he had made because he wouldn’t be able to work… He did not want to be immobile… He did not want to need to count on others… so many things he did not want! And honestly, so many things he did not deserve. But the thing that got me was that he did not want to be scared!

We probably talked for about 45 minutes about this idea… about being scared and what it means and how society tells us we are not “supposed” to be scared and how so much of our lives, especially as men, we “pretend” constantly NOT to be scared… but WE ARE… and IT IS OK! Life is freakin’ scary! Life is freaking tough! Life is going to kick us in the teeth sometimes and knock us on our butt and leave us dazed and confused in the gutter in the pouring rain. LIFE SUCKS… sometimes!

But the thing about life is this… at the end of the day when this young man was getting ready to leave, he came and found me. I was planning on asking him if I could give him a hug (I am NOT a hugger, in general… but sometimes) before he left, but as he was walking towards me, he opened up his arms (REALLY WIDE… he IS a big dude) and came in for a hug! At that moment, my HEART MELTED! Never, Ever, in a million years did I ever think I would hug this young man… but I did… and it was some of the BEST, HEALING MOMENTS I had all week… and this week has been BRUTAL! It was something we both NEEDED… so SIMPLE… but SO, SO POWERFUL!!!

Yea, life is scary! It can be horrible at times! Unfair and mean and can simply leave us devastated… But life is also crazy beautiful and wonderful and filled with connection and moments that warm your heart and soul… and I want all of it! Thank you, my friend. My thoughts and my prayers are with you and your family today and I will see you when you return! You got this!