You're going to be alright. You know how I know that?
Because I know two songs that claim that to be true.
Okay, hang with me.
Back in the fall, I was at a concert where I saw Mike Mains and the Branches perform their song "Everything's Gonna Be Alright". I felt annoyed. How did they know my situation? How could everyone at the concert mindlessly sing along and dance to such ignorant words? How do they know everything will be alright?
At the time, I was experiencing pretty intense anxiety most days and I just felt in that moment like everything probably wasn't going to be alright. I'd continue to be anxious for the rest of my life, everything would always feel hard, and I was surely the only one that felt like this. I guess you could say it was a moment of hopelessness.
Fast forward about 6 months. I felt anxious again. I had just paid over $200 for an unexpected vet bill, our car was broken with no cheap or simple solution in sight, I found out my insurance was covering significantly less of my therapy than I thought it was, I had almost no work scheduled in the near future, and I was pregnant, expected to provide for another human in 6 short months.
I got in the car with my equally anxious dog, leaving the vet, and turned on Judah and the Lion's new album only to hear their new song that repeats over and over "you're going to be alright".
What!? They don't know my situation! They are wrong, I'm not going to be alright. Everything is piling up and life is stressful!!
But then I remembered the song from back at the concert in the fall. How could two unrelated bands be saying the same thing? How can they both be so sure that everything is going to be alright?
And then I realized it's because it's true. I'm not claiming to have gone through every hard thing that could every happen to everyone, but between my husband's and my personal experiences and walking with close friends through some really hard stuff, I realized that this was not the first time I felt stressed or a lack of hope and you know what? I was still here. Still kicking. I still had a lot of value and beauty and support in my life.
I don't want to naively say that everything is going to be easy, but honestly, I'm learning that with most things in life, the hardest stress and pressure and grief is going to let up. It will get easier. There is hope! This may be a hard season, but hard seasons don't last forever. Lean into your community, your faith, the strongest part of you, and remember all the things you've overcome. You're going to be alright.
