EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY
"I don't need any help"
"I can do it myself"
"I don't need nobody"
"I'm good"
Okay. We get it. You got things under control. You're an exceptional multi tasker. We've seen you juggle life's obstacles all at once. We've also seen you spazz out when it gets to be too much. Maybe you put it in a Facebook status, maybe you've been out drinking more than usual, maybe you've been ignoring your loved ones phone calls, maybe you've been posting pictures with ya booty out. Which is weird, but hey, everyone expresses their stress differently.
Listen, I'll be the first to tell ya'll, I HATE ASKING FOR HELP. Ever since I could speak, my favorite quote as a child was "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it my own shelf (self)!" Not sure why I felt the need to repeat myself. Probably because someone who didn't understand me the first time, was trying still trying to help. Sometimes, they would just let me do it on my own. I'd be okay for a second, then, that usually resulted in a big mess for my parents to help me clean up anyway. Don't ya just hate kids?
Unfortunately, I didn't learn from those incidents right away. In fact, it got even worse as I grew older. When I was 16, driving the '94 Camry, I caught a flat tire on the way to a friend's house. Instead of calling my daddy and asking him for help, I wobbled my little car on over to the shop and bought a tire with the money they had given me and went on about my day. Later that night, as my friend and I were driving along W. Florissant Ave, I caught another flat, in another tire. This time, the car shop was closed and I had to wobble my little car to the side of the street which was right in front of a house where two young men lived that thought this was the time to flirt. Bruh, I can't fall in love while my car is falling a part. You bet your sweet little bottom I opened that flip phone and called my daddy then. I swear, he was there in 97 seconds. He and my mother were also pissed that I bought that tire on my own too.
Side note: I still get coupons in the mail from Firestone Tires til this day. They stayed loyal.
Ya'll see where I'm going with this yet? Listen, this has been one of the most humbling years I have ever experienced. I used to think that asking for or needing help made me look weak. I didn't want people to be able to look down on me because they were helping me. I was also afraid of being let down. If I let myself down or disappointed myself or made a mistake, I could always do something to fix it because I know what I am capable of. But, I've learned that what makes you strong, what makes you successful, is using the resources that God puts in front of you. Why make a big mess on your own when you could have just asked for help in the first place? Now, you got to call for help to clean it up anyway.
If you saw me struggling to climb a wall to get out of a hole, and there was a rope on one side and a ladder on the other, would you say to yourself "Dang Brit, you strong. You don't even need the ladder. You just keep climbing and falling like a real G!" Hell no. You're going to say "You're ridiculous Brit, get the rope or the ladder. I'm tired of looking at this."
All I'm saying is, getting or asking for help doesn't make you weak and it doesn't mean you took the easy way out. When I was in LA, my mother only had to tell me to come back home once. She was my ladder that got me out of the hole. And let me tell you, that was NOT the easy way out. I was hella sad that I couldn't stick it out.
Many times, I've passed up what could have been great opportunities, because I didn't want to seem like I "needed" or was "depending on" anyone. Now, I'm not saying that you will get the answer that you want every time. Sometimes, there will be no's, unanswered questions, phone calls, and doors slammed in your face, but hey, that's life.
I know, I'm a little long winded today, but the moral of the story is, You never know if you don't ask. Also, if you are blessed enough to be on the giving end, give wholeheartedly or not at all. Don't nobody want no mean ass help. You can keep that, fam. If you are the receiver, be grateful and open to change. It's okay. Everybody needs somebody.
Don't wear out your welcome and call that somebody for everything though. You can still get sent to voicemail.
Peace ya'll.
-BRIT