Struggle.

I think about the fact that I find it hard to be around people that haven't felt any sort of struggle in their life. Or those that judge others that have gone through them.

True, struggle makes the skin on your knuckles rougher, and the lines around your eyes deeper. Or maybe you've found a way to hide all the wear.

But struggle also makes your heart bigger, and your mind wider. It makes you appreciate that there's more than what popular culture is feeding you. Through struggle, you find your boundaries, and your strength. It teaches you lessons you can't learn on your own, which later become tools useful for living a more fulfilling life. It pushes away selfish people and shows you the ones that will hold you up when life grinds your skin and bones to dust.

It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of our lives. Of our pains, of our sufferings. But struggle is deeper than the emotions we drown in. It's about the appreciation for all the wonderful things around you. It's about the appreciation of the beauty and marvel that is you.

Yes, your skin isn't perfect, and it isn't meant to be. Your hair is shades lighter, and isn't as full as you want. But you've made it this far, and the scars on your arms, your legs, your back, are just as beautiful as your laugh and your sighs. Honestly, I've struggled enough to appreciate your tired eyes, and your raspy voice. I can only wonder the things you've seen, and the words you've had to say.

Life isn't always kind. And what it gives us isn't always so easy to comprehend. We're dying with every breath we take. It's been said over and over, but less and less people are able to grasp it: life is short. But there's beauty in it. And there's beauty in you.

Don’t drown in the struggle. Sometimes we have to stop flailing in order to see that, unbeknownst to us, the waves have taken us somewhere amazing. Perhaps even, to places we couldn’t fathom reaching.