Well, well, well, it’s been interesting these past couple of weeks, ever since I released my first video where I talk about my struggles with Bipolar, SVT, and the related complications that I’ve developed over the years. The response that I got was amazing, first of all. And second of all, it was…expected, for the most part, but still surprising. And though I was prepared for all of this, what I did not prepare for or expect in any way was my own emotional response to this whole thing. And let me tell you, that was a very bad idea. But…but, today, we are not here to talk about me. We are here to talk about all of you.

See, the response that I got, the people who reached out, you can loosely group them into four. So the first group, let’s talk about the first group. The first group was those people who extended their support, their love, their prayers, wishes, and…a lot, you know, a lot of kindness that I haven’t experienced in a long time. And honestly, thank you. Thank you for that. A couple of those people, though, were the ones who called me a hero, or a saint. I’m neither of those things. I’m just a regular person who opened up about her issues, and dealing with issues on a daily basis doesn’t make me a hero, it just makes me…human?

See, when someone opens up about their issues to you – anyone, and I hope they do, I hope they do open up to you — when someone opens up about their issues to you, they don’t want you to be extra careful around them. They don’t want you to walk on eggshells around them. They don’t want you to think about their problems all the time because they’re not doing it either. Anyone who’s suffering from a chronic illness or who has a messy life history or anyone with a limb difference, even – they’d agree with me on this point that no matter how unpleasant your problem, after a while, you get used to it. It’s not ideal. We wish it wasn’t true, but it is what it is. And we deal with it. And since we’re not thinking about it all the time, you don’t have to either. So, to everyone out there with loved ones who are suffering and opening up, just be there for them when they need you. And the rest of the time, try being a little less weird.

[ Laughing at someone off-camera ] I know, I know. The looks I’m getting right now. Oh my God. Just, just saying someone had to say it. Someone had to say it.

So, anyway. Okay. The second group of people. The second group of people were those who reached out with stories of their own struggles, how they invalidated themselves, how their loved ones denied their issues, how this delay in seeking help affected them, how they’re dealing with it right now, how it’s the first time ever that they’re talking to another human being about their issues, and… I thank you. I thank you for your courage and your strength. I thank you for hanging in there and for honoring me to be a part of your journey. I can’t change the world. I can’t fight it alone. But I’m glad to see, I’m honored, honestly, I am, if what I do here is able to impact positively any, any person out there. So thank you for granting me that.

The third group of people is a very interesting group. These are the ones who are scared for me, who want to protect me from what the world would do now that they know that I’m weak, how the world will pull me down. And they want to, they want to protect me from it. And of course they don’t appreciate what I’ve done.

 [ Addressing someone off-camera ] And I understand. where they’re coming from. I get it. I do get it. I do.

But the thing is, I’m always scared of myself. I am scared of myself enough already, I don’t want to live in fear of others as well. I’m scared of the parts of myself that I’d lose to this battle of, you know, this survival thing that I have going on. But I think it’s time. To live as who I truly am. I know several people would relate to this, I know. So to anyone who’s scared for you, or if you’re someone who’s scared for your loved one, it’s their journey. Just be there, I guess.

The fourth group of people…there’s always that one group, right? So the fourth group of people is the one who doesn’t quite get it yet. They’re the people who think, I’m here calling for attention, that I’m doing all of this for attention and…I am. It’s time that we paid attention to things that we’ve been ignoring for so long. It’s time that we discuss things that we’ve been asked not to talk about. It’s time that we came out in the open about things that we’re afraid to even mention behind closed doors.

I’m not here asking for sympathy, definitely not pity. All I can hope for, all anyone who opens up to someone can hope for is a little empathy and an open mind. That’s all it takes. I’m sure you’ll get there eventually.

See, the point is, the world is a tough place, right? We’ve established that already. There is a lot of pain, a lot of things that you cannot fix, a lot of people out there who are broken and suffering… The least we can do is be there for one another. We can’t fix their problems for them, right? The least we can do is be there for one another. Actually, scratch that – it’s hard enough to be there for yourself these days, let alone for someone else. The least we can do is not hurt the other person, not pull them down, especially when they’re trying so hard to get back up.

I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that we can fix this world and have a happy place where we all care for each other, where we all give a shit about each other basically. It’s not gonna happen overnight. But we all need to start from somewhere, right? Let’s start with trying to understand each other. Let’s try and be open to new experiences, situations, consequences, stories, people, backgrounds. Let’s just be open, listen, talk, understand, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll still have a chance.

On that note, I will see you all next week. Have a good week.