Free Fallin'
See, I'm not the only one who likes to write about life lessons and positive thought.
Take it from Alli in her sweet little ramble here about falling and getting back up again;
falling mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, and how this helps us grow and become
better people. Great reminders that in adversity, we find out so much more
about ourselves and about life. Thanks for the positivity Alli.
Check out more of Alli's writings on her blog Little Bit of Alli.
@alliksmith
"The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fell."
—Book of Sincerity
I don't know about you, but I tend to fall down a lot. This is because I do not really pay attention to my surroundings, and so I trip over things quite often. Falling is a daily thing for me. I have quite a few bruises and scars from it. Maybe you have some ninja-like abilities and you do not fall very often. Kudos to you, bud. I envy you.
This is not the type of falling I am talking about though. I am talking about falling mentally, spiritually or emotionally. Falling in your goals, dreams, and plans. This is something that happens to people. It is often unavoidable. Maybe you were counting on getting a job after school, but it didn't quite work out. It could be an injury that kept you from accomplishing a physical goal, or partaking in a sport. Could be lost relationships, death of a close one, or maybe just feeling down on yourself. We fall often. Like the quote at the top of this page, we grow from falling. We may scrape our knees and elbows, dirty our jeans, and shed a few tears, but in these moments we gain strength. We learn how to persevere, and overcome the difficulties that life likes to throw at us. We learn how to reroute, and find another way to get to our desired destination.
If we never fall, and experience these hard times, how are we supposed to learn? Those who experience the easy way of life are actually bringing on hardship upon themselves in the long run. They will someday fall, and because they had not experienced the falls before they will struggle to get back up. They will not have the tools that most gain from having more than one fall. They will seek the advice from those who have fallen, and we will be able to show them how to get up again and go on with life.
"But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air..."
—Sarah Kay
Sometimes we even have to fall to remind ourselves to be humble, and just relax. We get so ahead of ourselves, and forget to live our lives in the moment that it takes a setback to remind us about the important things. This has happened to myself multiple times. I have looked so far in the future that I have failed to be there for the present. This has led me to lose friendships, opportunities, and chances for new memories. I was so caught up in making sure that I would have a perfect life someday, that I was forgetting to live mine in the here and now. Even though falling hurts, sometimes it is exactly what I need to regain my sight on life. When I fall during these times I take a step back, acknowledge what I am not spending enough time on, and just take a breath. I gain my composure again. I relax. Then I work at spending every day in the moment slowly striving to help my future, but not barreling towards it at full force. Maybe this is you reading more books, or taking more hikes. Could be diving deeper into faith, or spending more time with your family. Whatever it is for you, these things will help you back up.
Embrace the falls. They could be exactly what you need. Don't feel judged for your falls. I guarantee that everyone at some point in their life will experience this. It is a part of being human. Don't be afraid to grab a helping hand to get you back on your feet either, because the one's who help you up are normally the one's who have also been on the ground. The scars you get from falling in life aren't ugly, these are your stories. These are your experiences showing themselves to the world, showing that you have been strong, and persevered through the hard stuff. These are symbols of wisdom. Someday when you are 80, and sitting in your knitting group, or your bridge club, you will all show each other your skinned knees and compare your stories. You will laugh, and cry, and maybe cringe in horror, but you will have realized by then that these aren't bad things. This is how you learned to live, by falling and getting back up again.