Galen G.
Photography by Galen G.
If you are reading this, I want to be there for you.
Maybe its 3 pm during class. Maybe its 2 am in your room. Maybe you need a shoulder to cry on. Maybe you need a listening ear. Maybe you just need someone to sit there with you so you aren’t alone. No matter when or where or why you need me, know that I will be there.
Life can be so scary, and there are things that make it scarier- but there are also things that can help. I want to be that thing for you. I want to make your world less alone. Whether you are one of my best friends or we have never met, I want you to know that I will drop anything I am doing and come to you, even if all I can offer is a hand to hold.
I cannot promise that I will have a magic pill to make everything bad go away, nor do I always know what to say, but I want to make sure you know that you are loved. You are wanted and needed- and my goodness, are you amazing.
It can be so scary to depend on other people- depend on them anyways. Asking for help from others means being vulnerable, and sometime that feeling sucks, but the compassion of people amazes me every day. Yes, I have met people who have made my life hell, but for every one of those people there are about ten people who would do anything for me. Know that I will be that person for you- and I am not the only one. If you ever need someone, I want you to reach out and be vulnerable.
I might not know you, but I am human. You could walk up to me on the street and ask for just about anything, and I would try my hardest to give it to you. There are more people like me than you think, I promise, and if you ever feel alone, reach out to me, to your friends, to a stranger, and know that you are deserving of help and love simply because you are a human.
Galen G., University of Virginia
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