When you're in need of some help...

...you can find it everywhere. It hasn't been an easy year for many people I know. We've all been hit by tragedies, trials, and challenges. I believe all come into our lives to make us stronger, wiser, and more compassionate people. We have a clearer sense of what it means to be human and to suffer. But in our pain and suffering, we don't always reach out to our friends and family because we know that they too have their own issues to sort out. It's in observing how they carry on with their lives through their trials that can serve as a basis of support. They don't physically have to hold our hand or be at our beck and call when we're down. We're not meant to be in one anothers' faces anyway. Too much intimacy between people can often break relationships. We can empower ourselves through the simple act of observation: hearing, seeing, touching the words and wisdom of our friends and family.

But there is always a need in us to bring our pain out. That's why we have counsellors, psychiatrists, support groups, non-profit organizations, and the like. And then we also have sports and recreational clubs, community centres, walk-a-thons, marathons, art shows, and open mics. There's no shortage of ways in which we can get healthy and positive therapy beyond what our personal relationships have the capacity to give us. I'm not suggesting that we replace the closeness of a friend with a professional and a clipboard. But both serve their purpose, and the latter takes much of the pressure and stress off the shoulders of our loved ones when situations might be too much to bear.

I guess that's why it's so important to be part of a strong, vibrant community with those services in place. Living in Toronto has definitely opened my eyes to the importance of community and we should all be aware of how government cutbacks and such can negatively affect these much-needed services and programs, without which we'd all go quite mad! I'm so thankful for the level of support I've been able to access as a person with a disability. I've met some exceptional people working in the non-profit community service field who know the importance of providing sincere and compassionate service to members of their communities. I can only imagine how difficult it would be and how much more challenging our suffering without these frontline workers.

Volunteering and charity are key to maintaining these programs and services and helping our communities build sustainable and healthy futures. God bless those who give their time as volunteers to put a smile on our faces. But our friends and family are too our volunteers - they are the ones who volunteer to support us throughout the course of our lives, and hopefully, we can give them the same.

It's an amazing thing - life - when we can see how many ways there are to better our lives through conscious care and concern for ourselves and for others. We realize we don't have to give up because no matter what, help really is just around the corner. We just have to be willing to reach out for it, and the only way to do so is to have belief in ourselves and faith that things will unfold in a positive direction even if it takes many many small steps to get there. Chances are we'll all have to take those steps at one point. Well all I can say is don't give up. There's always help out there, even in cyberspace. Communities grow in all directions and in many diverse forms and structures. There are almost 7 billion people in this world, so even if we think there's not enough in our corner of the world, there's always a lot more out there to discover. We're an adaptable species and can shape-shift, test out new identities and experience new frontiers. And with every step we take for our health and well-being, those opportunities will continue to expand and brighten our day in every little way because every little thing counts.

One for all, and all for one.