“You are not alone. If you have friends or allies, rely on them. They may not understand everything you’re going through, but they can still help. We all shall, at least as much as we are able.”
– Agent Smythe, GPF
January 10, 2020

Smythe is a relatively minor character and he is, at this moment, speaking to the main protagonist, just as the man has been handed the full cosmic weight of the plot to bear on his already-burdened shoulders. And isn’t that just the way it goes for the hero of the story? They’re just trying to keep it together but the load they carry just keeps piling up, day by day, burying them under? Yet, they must carry on, always alone in some degree, even when surrounded by friends, because they’re the only ones that really understand what’s going on. But that approach overlooks what Smythe is so wisely pointing out.

The hero is not alone.

Even if he is the only one who understands everything, he still has friends and allies who can and will help, in whatever way. It is no weakness – in fact, it is vitally important – to rely on them.

As the heroes of our own stories, we all too often, with no ill intent whatsoever, try to shoulder the weight of our entire world alone. It’s noble, in a way, to try and keep our crap from spilling onto those around us, but that’s not always what we should do. Family, friends, allies, we are all there for each other specifically so we can all help one another in turn.

It’s OK to accept that help, and ask for it, and rely on it.

And the part about understanding what’s going on? If we had to perfectly understand everything about any given situation in order to help, then we’d never be able to help ourselves, let alone each other, but that’s not what we need. One doesn’t need to perfectly understand our troubles the way we understand them in order to help. One doesn’t need to know everything about your life in order to, say, help you load up a truck, or look after a kid for a few hours, or take you out to lunch, etc. One doesn’t even need to understand your troubles in order to listen to them. It’s just something one does to help out.

The lesson of relying on others comes especially home to me right now. One may notice that this post is a full week late, as I missed posting last Sunday. That’s because I was laid low with a nasty little sickness. I have recovered now, but most of this week, I was relying even more than usual on those around me. They came through completely, and as miserable as I was, it was a great comfort to me, knowing that they had my back.

I relied on them, easily, and was not disappointed. If I’d waited until they understood every detail of what I was feeling, we’d have gotten nowhere. They just knew I was sick, so they helped as I needed them to, plain and simple.

Would that we all did that.

And I just want to say how grateful I am that I have people on whom I can so rely for help. It is one of the greatest blessings in my life. 🙂