When Everything Falls Apart

When everything falls apart, what do you do? When things are going to hell in a handbasket, what do you do? When you’re so depressed that opening your eyes, though you’re awake, is just too much, what do you do?

You boil everything down to the essentials, the basics, the necessities – whatever you want to call it. So very much of our lives are trappings, extras, but they’re needed to live a full life. But when everything falls apart, you buck living a full life and you go for survival.

You eat. Even though you don’t want to. Even though everything tastes like ash. Even though you don’t really have the time. You eat. You grab an apple or banana, you stop at a drive through, you get a protein shake. You do something to get nutrients into your body, because your body will tell you when it’s done, and when it is, you’re going to stop whether you like it or not.

You bathe. Even though you don’t want to. Even though you don’t see the point. You clean yourself of the germs and dirt so you don’t get sick. You make yourself presentable in case someone decides to try to rescue you or you need to go and rescue someone else. You bathe not because it will make you feel better than you do right now. You bathe because it will make you feel better than you would if you didn’t. Maintenance more than improvement.

You take care of your dependents. This includes kids and pets. You make certain they have food and water, that they also are clean (because you don’t need a sick dependent right now), that they are safe, that they have access to toilet/cat box/outside (because it’d take you longer to clean it up than it would to make certain that they had somewhere to go).

You sleep. Even though you don’t think you have time. Because you need to be at your best, or at least as good as you can be, and for that, you need energy. The energy you get from food and the energy you get from sleep. Mistakes are made more by sleepy people than rested people. And do you really need to make mistakes right now?

If you are spiritual, you pray. Even though you don’t feel grateful. Even though you rail against the power(s) that be for your current situation. Even though you don’t think you have time. You pray, whether it’s a plea for help, a damnation for circumstances, or a thank you that nothing else has gone wrong today. Because, like with bathing, it’ll feel better than if you don’t. And, you may get an answer.

That’s it. You do those five things. You take care of your body, your dependents, and your spirit. And when your life has fallen apart, these are the pieces you use to start over. These are the first pieces you pick back up. First, and before anything else, you survive. And that is how you will later be able to Live.