When a stranger looks at me I would bet good money that they would not characterize me as "strong". They'd say pretty, poised, happy, perhaps even bubbly, but they wouldn't use the word strong. This could be because, physically, I am not the poster child for strength and fitness. I do not have the fit physic with toned glutes and abs. I am not a gym rat, I'd much rather be outdoors. I am not physically strong but I do have strength. For many people this is the case. We have a mental or emotional strength that even though you cannot see it all the time, when it does appear it is much more valuable than physical strength. We are the ones who keep it together when everything seems to be falling apart. We are the ones who, while everyone is crying about the sky falling, we are picking up the pieces to put them back together. We may want to break down and cry but we don't because we know when our type of strength is needed.

I have been through a lot in the 22 years I have been on this earth. I have survived the many stages of child-, preteen-, and teen-hood all while experiencing some of the harsher realities of those ages. I have watched loved ones die, some tragically, and I have watched new life come to fruition in beautiful ways. I have grown apart from or just lost friendships and I have gained friends in places I would have never expected. I have loved and been loved. I have been cheated on, left, and heart broken. I have faced trials with my body, spirit, and mind. I have worked my butt off for a cause I believed in. I have been harassed and put down. I have experienced these things first hand among so much more but I do not let that make me a victim. All of these things have only made me stronger. Strong enough to continue to fight through all that life throws my way. Strong enough to hold my friends up when they need me to. Strong enough to hold my head up and look my future straight in the eye and say "I'm not afraid of you".

I believe there are many people out there who feel the same way. We are the friends who seldom cry in public over personal problems. We are the ones who will fight for what we believe in no matter the cost. We hold ourselves to a certain standard and we normally meet that standard (at least in the view of the outer world.) The problem with possessing this kind of strength is that it can be hard to change roles. Just because this strength exists, doesn't mean that I have to be or can be strong all the time. It is hard for me to admit when I need a little more help carrying the weight of this world. I lean on others when I need to, but I never dwell there long. I ask for help when I need it, but I don't take advantage of it. I take pride in the fact that I am strong but with that comes the intense insecurity that I may one day be seen as weak. It is totally irrational and I know that but there are days when being the strong friend is harder than others. Then there are those days when I notice the strength that every person I know has. We all have our own strength that shows itself in different ways. My strength is no better or worse than another's but it comes in handy when others need it just as others strength comes in handy when I need it.

It may not be easy to admit when you are a little bit weaker but it is worth it. No one has the strength to handle this crazy world alone, and no one should. Use your strength when other's need it and lean on others strength when you need it. This world would be a much better place if we recognized our own strengths and weaknesses as much as we judge others.