Whatever Doesn't Kill You...

It's true what those people on TV tell you: "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Except of course if the thing that doesn't kill you turns out to be some chemical substance that destroys your ability to function your voluntary muscles and turns you into a vegetable for the rest of your life, but that's beside the point.

Today, my mom returned from the hospital where she had been confined for a week. She was rushed to the hospital due to... meh... I'll call it "severe fatigue" since that's what everybody chooses to call it. Let it be known, though, that tears were shed, cigarettes were lit, voices were raised, patience and patients were tested, lawyers were called, testimonies were written, constitutional acts were read, and eyes turned red.

Legal action... Yeah. I met an actual lawyer for the first time in my life. Or maybe I've met other lawyers in the past but I was too ignorant to realize they were lawyers. Needless to say, my playthroughs of the entire Ace Attorney game series on the NDS sparked my intrigue in the legal system. I enjoyed reading the act on Violence Against Women and Their Children. Awesome stuff in there.

Hospitals are funny places. People get sick or injured, one way or another. That's unavoidable. The beautiful paradox that is the hospital is the one place where all kinds of drama can ensue. Where else is there a more beautiful, albeit depressing moment, than a boy whose existence on the planet was to be cut short due to a terminal cancer, surrounded by his loving family and friends, with him letting them know that his 15 short years of life were the best anybody on the planet could ask for. Where else could you possibly find a more triumphant moment than a child, nearly drowned at the beach, waking up with her family by her side and realizing that it could all have been just a very bad dream.

Or a mom who overcame her self-inflicted, fear-induced, near-death experience, to continue living and keep on keeping on, to experience all that the world has yet to offer: the tears, the laughs, the pains, the reliefs, the weakening times, and the empowering ones. She may see herself as having failed the family, but we hold nothing against her. Although, it's true, she did fail at the last thing she tried to do... and we're glad she did.

Mom,
Gravity can't keep birds from flying.
Don't let what brings you down, keep you down.

Much love,
Atom P.