Stay Soft

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“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Have you ever met someone who could have done a lot more with their lives but something happened, some tragedy and they never recovered? Have you met people whose dreams have been broken beyond repair? Their hope fractured, their will gone. People who have been defeated by life…
Life had happened to them and turned them into exactly who they said they’d never become.
This is life. Beautiful and terrible things happen. You need to feel them all. You have to. There’s no other way.
But this doesn’t mean that you have to become everything the world wants you to be. What others would like you to be, or need you to be.
You can be anything you want to be. You can believe, despite it all, that the world is a beautiful place, that the world is worth fighting for. That you are worth fighting for.


But this is what it’s all about. The battle. The fight. The struggle. Against it all. Despite…
Nothing worthwhile is easy…
So being kind to those who are unkind to you is not easy.
But I’ll tell you what’s easy. Being the same as everyone else. Being cynical and selfish and mean and…
The world is going to pull at you in all kinds of direction, but it’s still your life. You have the responsibility to live a life you are proud of. Not one your parents, your friends, your teachers, you boss, or anyone else will approve of.
And this requires a certain softness of the heart. The courage to display such a fragile organ to the world. The ability to get your heart bent and broken into all kinds of shapes.
And keep on going.
And keep on believing.
And keep on fighting for what you want.
And keep on loving.
And keep on smiling.
For the world is as beautiful and as ugly as you think it is.

45 thoughts on “Stay Soft”

  9. When my sister and I were kids, my father said I was the pretty one and my sister was the smart one. My sister was a natural A-student in school without ever having to try. I struggled every step of the way to bring home less than stellar grades. My father predicted my sister would get a scholarship into a prestigous university and I would end up getting pregnant and dropping out of high school.

    Strangely, life has a way of turning out differently than you expect it too. I think in some way we both fought agaisnt those images and predictions. I went on to graduate from High School, and eventually I graduated with three degrees and three minors, also having graduated with honors. My sister dropped out of High School and had her first baby at the age of 15 years. She has been worried a lot about her sense of beauty as she gets older.

    Still, life does not turn out in the way you expect. My sister has had to overcome a lot of obstacles in her life because of teen pregnancy, dropping out of high school, being kicked out of her home and many other issues. But, she is a survivor, and she managed to keep putting one foot in front of another and came out on the other side of it all. She got her GED, has been gainfully employed, and gone on to college.

    I fought every step of the way to get my education and even worked in my field for a time, but have struggled with disabilities that have unfortunately prevented me from staying gainfully employed. For the last few months, I have felt totally and completely defeated by life. In fact, I had even reached a point where I had lost all hope for anything ever getting any better. There was no point in living anymore. I was ready to die. My light had gone out.

    But, something odd happened that re-lit my internal flame, and now I am moving forward once again. I’ve decided to stop banging my head against the wall of life and work with what I have instead. I will use the talents and tools I have and find a way to make those work for me instead of trying to be and do something I am not able to be. A huge burden seems to have lifted from shoulders and I feel much better about my new path.

    There was a large part of me that used to be very bitter and angry with certain people and about life. But, over the years I’ve overcome most of that anger and forgiven most of the people in my life. I’m not perfect by any means, but I can honestly say that letting go of that anger is very cathartic. I have learned more about love and I am convinced that love is our purpose in life.

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  11. I’ve recently read we attract the things/emotions that irritate us. If we become bitter and resentful, we attract situations that further stimulate those qualities. We should choose to grow and choose a happier life.

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  17. Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.
    –Lao Tzu

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  20. I could so connect with your words.. Life can turn upside down in ways you haven’t even imagined, it’s so easy to loose faith and become cold hearted. But we can always choose kindness for everyone here is fighting a battle. I read this beautiful quote somewhere – “Stay soft my heart, hard things break easier”. Great post!❤️

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