To be quite honest, I've got a lot of problems. Perhaps they're not laid out on the surface, but they're underneath it all. I used to cry. A lot. More frequently than anyone ever should. I wish that now, while I'm sitting here writing this, I'm able to say I'm aware of why. Why things felt so sickening. Why things seemed so bleak. Why, despite all the light in my life, I was only able to discover the dark. I became a simple chalk board. People were able to walk up, write something on me, and then it would stay there. Soon enough, after it was finally erased, more words would be piled on top of all the faded chalk dust.
I guess you can say I was in over my head. In fact, I probably was. Although, I probably wasn't even aware of it. Things changed for me after my best friend said something I'll never forget.
To some, his words may seem silly, or a tad childish, but to me? To me his words meant the world. He knew how I felt, and he was previously at a loss for words. He remained speechless but supportive throughout my time of need until one special day. He simply turned to me and said, "you know? You're like a zebra. You're always wondering whether you're black with white stripes, or white with black stripes. At one point in life you're going to have to stop and say, 'forget it, I'm just a zebra.'" Despite the simplicity of his analogy, I realized he was right. He helped me so much more than he'll ever fathom. Maybe his words can help someone else too, just as they helped me.