For about eighteen months, we have been on this journey for men and mental health and as with any road, there are smooth parts and there are some bumpy ones. It is very similar for a metaphor for life, in a certain way I guess. Ups and downs, twists and turns, smooth and bumpy. It has been a very enlightening path has I have gotten to know so many of you in doing this.
I am humbled and grateful for all the men who have reached out just simply to talk. I am proud of them who have continued their progress with going to therapy and seeking help. That is a lot tougher than most realize and I am so proud of them and pray for them every night.
About three months ago, I just started doing some daily positive videos of about sixty seconds. No rhyme or reason but to simply let anyone know that they are not alone and the journey is better with people by your side. As I have said many times, I am not a doctor nor a therapist, just someone who went through that dark tunnel and I don’t want you to go through it alone. The feedback has been wonderful but again, that is not why I am doing it. I just want to help.
Now here comes the fun part of all of this. The naysayers. Certain people in our world who just cannot help themselves being negative. As I often say, 2% of the world is against oxygen and that applies to the naysayers. That is okay because I am sure they have a purpose on this earth and I am certainly not one to judge. Trust me.
The naysayers are fuel to my passion so I actually enjoy it. One recently caught my attention when this person said, about our ongoing organic efforts to help men, “Why are you wasting your time? You can’t save them all.” I actually giggled at that and sat back and waited for divine intervention to tell me what to say and it certainly showed up. “Yes,” I wrote, “but I can damn sure try.”
I posted that on a video I did saying how much I love the naysayers and I got several responses back telling me the starfish story. I had never heard the starfish story and I had share. A young boy was walking along the shore line and he noticed many starfish that were out of the water and struggling. He proceeded to pick them up and throw then back in the ocean, thus saving them. He did this for awhile and a man passing by, saw what he was doing. “My son, there are so many, you can’t possibly make a difference in all of this. There are just too many.” The boy, looks at the man, picks up another starfish and hurls it into the ocean. “Saved another one,” and kept on his path.
I am not foolish enough to think I am saving lives or even making a big dent in this endeavor. As long as we can save one, we have found a purpose. Yes, we can’t save them all, but we aren’t going to quit. Not now. May you find your starfish in life and make a difference.
