I don't know if animals can sense when someone is struggling with something, but sometimes, it doesn't matter.

I've been going through some emotional issues- things I only admit here in this public space if only to offer anyone else who feels the same way some glimmer of hope. Anxiety is a natural part of human behavior, but sometimes, whether through a missing spark from nerve to nerve, a misfiring of hormones that never stops, or something that takes it from simple nervousness to something beyond your control, it's okay. It's not your fault. You're not weak, you're not crazy, and you're not whiny.

These last two weeks have been a journey for me- the joy of a job as a teacher's aide, working with children 4-5, and the misfiring of my brain that sometimes got in the way of me being able to enjoy being with them. I'm getting help, and I've been surrounded by a very supportive family, supportive friends, and, well, pets that just seem to keep straying over specifically to cuddle with me. It tears me up to do this image, but it just encompasses the joy that happens when you encounter that sort of love- whether from an animal, a child, or someone willing to be there for you, each in their small way. The inside of you is dark, but the light of that love gives you something back, and even through the anxiety, you realize you're safe, once you come down.