You meet someone. They’re nice, good looking, and fun to be around. You think nothing of it, aside from the fact they’re a new name in your mental list of those you “know.” Three years pass, and that same someone comes around. You weren’t looking for anyone or anything, in fact, you were content without them. But that same someone sweeps you off of your feet unexpectedly. Happiness and euphoria turn into questions and disagreements. Then you start to wonder- should I let myself be seen as I am? Should I retract and hide parts of myself to save face? So you decide to walk with courage and be seen as you are, love as you love, and question what makes you uncomfortable. You take that walk with courage hoping it’ll lead you to a road of the strongest love, but the road separates. Instead, it takes you down a path of pain and heartbreak, and once again you’re faced with a decision. To go on and pretend you’re okay, happy, and unphased? Or to feel as you feel, be seen as you are, and hurt where it pains. So you walk with courage, lean into the heartbreak, and stay true to you. And in the end, you’ll find that very same courage still there, still walking with you being the strength you need to pick yourself up from the bootstraps. You’ll find that very same courage, pulling you out from the darkness, and showing you the light of life you used to have, without them. Courage to love as you love, cry where it hurts, and stand tall in the midst of it all.
Taylere Domrose is a student at SJSU.
The Bolt Magazine 