One day, my older brother was giving me a ride somewhere. It was a few years ago, but the memory is incredibly vivid. He suddenly pulled over, turned off the gas, and looked at me. It was a bit random, and I was very funcuzed.
Then he turned to me, his huge blue eyes piercing right through my body. "Let me give you a piece of advice," he said.
This was all very weird, because he's not the "let's randomly have a really deep conversation" type. At first, i thought he was about to crack some sort of joke (he does do that a lot.)
"Seriously," he continued, a bit awkwardly, his hands still gripping the steering wheel, "if you never remember a single other word i say, just remember this: If you are feeling so low down, so lost, if you feel that things can't possibly get any worse, then they have to start getting better."
It seems like a simple statement, but it's not. it is something so profound, so uplifting, that i have found myself returning to this memory again and again, every time i'm feeling down.
because it gives me hope.
my brother has gone through a whole lot. i'm not going into details, of course, but trust me on this one. on that car ride, i suddenly glimpsed the one thought that kept him going throughout it all. my brother is strong. this is why.
"if things can't get any worse, they have to start getting better."
I'm an optimist at heart, but sometimes, when you're lost in the darkness, it's easy to give up. but whenever i return to my brother's words, i feel renewed strength. it reminds me of one of my favorite quotes of all time:
"WHEN IT GETS DARK ENOUGH, YOU CAN SEE THE STARS."
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A Brother's Advice
-LEE SALK
Posted by griffinrider at 8:27 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
16 comments:
wow. you can hear a thing like that over and over, but you never truly get the meaning until someone you know says it. It really is uplifting.
wow.
thats a good one
thanks
hehe funcuzed... :)
i likee itt
I love that quote =)
Hmm, see, I don't think like that.
With me, saying something like that's like saying "Well, at least it's not raining!" Invariably, it will start to rain.
I feel that it can always get worse :(
But that's a good quote.
~MoonStar
wow. i liked that quote at the end and the one your brother said. those can be reallly strong words if they come from the right person
That's nice. An optimist at heart. Very true quote. Love it!
Moonstar, i really feel bad for you. i can't imagine what it would be like to constantly be expecting the worst. how do you have thr strength when things get hard?
oh, and Bronte, yeah, funcuzed is a great word, isn't it?
Great and thoughtful words from a brother! My sister has also been through a lot in life and some of the most memorable things I have learned came from her. My favorite thing that she tought me was to always look a person in the eye when you are having a conversation. It has served me well in life and in my career.
Hmm, I have the strength to keep going because there's always the chance it can get better, and quite often, it does.
I was just saying that I don't necessarily believe it will ALWAYS get better.
~MoonStar
hey, thanks GR. you know how you never know when you afect someone in a way? well, you put that up there probably not expecting it to have this kinda affect on people (or maybe you did...). but still. i want you to know. cuz it'd be weird if i walked outta here withotu letting you know how much that meant. right now, i'm going through this thing with my BFF who's like a sister to me. and hearing that, i was able to place it up. she's like the older brother, and i'm you (haha! that sounded weird). but it made me realize that it's at it's worst right now, so it should start getting batter, i hope. and it's pitchy black where we're at. so i'm hoping to start seeing some stars. thanks. that uplifted me so much, i'm almost at tears of joy.
Wow. You're right. It is so short and simple, but it says so much. That made my day. =D
Moonstar, I can see where you are coming from with that statement. It is almost like the half-full half-empty cup thing. His brother looked on things like I do, although it is true it can almost always get worse. It usually has to get worse to get better. Anyway great quote! You have a smart brother.
well, I guess it can always get worse (and I've heard that somehow comforts certain people to think ???) but that's only certain aspects. some parts get worse, some get better. I think the most important thing is being grateful for what's good, improving what bad you can, and just smiling about or ignoring what you can't change.
You're older brother sounds like a really cool person, GR.
ya, my brother's awesome. sometimes.
anywho, i'm glad to help, jin. you're right, i wasn't planning on this havinga major effect on anyone. just writing my thoughts. but i'm so happy it helped you!
stay strong, everyone. hard times might be coming.
that somehow gave me hope. thx.
post back !
Post a Comment