Experience Badges

A while ago, a friend told me that what I was going through Life was normal.

You see, I had a rough breakup, my best friend passed away, and I was alone during the Holiday season (sorta). I'm about to get out of my current job (Military) and into a world unknown to me.

I had gotten depressed. I slept in during the weekends, it was hard for me to keep myself upbeat. I thought I was crashing and burning. Hitting that rock bottom.

Alas, my friends consoled me and told me that this was not the end nor was I in any dire straights. I was going what a whole lot of people go through when a sudden 'change of the winds' occurs. Takes your body, mind, and spirit some time to get accustomed to the new ways Life was opening up to me.

That had me thinking: "How do they know this? How do they know what I'm going through is 'normal'? This does not exactly feel normal now does it?"

After feeling better through the week, I'd have to agree it was just a certain time frame of uncertainty within me. I am moving forward and seeing for the first time opportunity when before, my neck was always looking behind me.

So, where do we go from there?

Well, I was wondering how well it would be if everyone had badges on their chests, like in the Military, that showed what they had gone through. You know, First Car or Apartment Payment, Had Heartbreak, Fell Down (Physically) But Got Back Up, Abused by a Trusted Friend/Family, Lost A Friend, Forgiven A Friend, Asked For Forgiveness, etc.

Badges that show whom each of us have gone through. That way, when one of us give advice to another, and that person goes, "How would you know? You don't know how it... Oh. I see that you have one of those badges that say you have. I shall listen to what you have to say now."

I mean, sure, there will always be those that continue to make excuses for what they are feeling because it is true; each experience, no matter how closely it may resemble one of ours, is not the same. However, it would be easier to kind of recognize those people and well... know really that we're not alone in our day-to-day Life.

As to who would give these badges out? ::Shrugs:: I'll leave it to you to decide. Honor system? Some entity from above? Gove...pfft, Ha ha ha ha! Sorry, I couldn't finish that one. Maybe other people who had experienced it can give their badge to another? 

Just a thought.