You were raised to be proper, respectful, kind, and forgiving.
Your heart is humble, nurturing, moral, and ever-seeking.
You’re intelligent, educated, and exceptional at your job—and anything else you’ve chosen to put your mind to.
Your family is close and your friends know that they are included when you speak of ‘the family’. They know that you would do anything and everything for any one of them—should they only ask.
You’ve been given all the building blocks in life to be seen as ‘The Good One’.
The trustworthy
The loyal
The kind and empathetic
The strength
The beauty
The charismatic and light
The motivational
The patient
The forgiving and the laughter
But despite all of your glorious qualities that have helped lead you to your success, you’ve learned one very important lesson…
LIFE IS FREAKING HARD
Because you didn’t get here easily. Did you? Being ‘The Good One’ didn’t make life easier—it only made every step that much harder.
Behind all of your victories, there are scars…
Deep, painful scars that sometimes still linger, waiting for the opportunity to be reopened.
Becoming ‘The Good One’ was a process—a long, endless journey which included being given the correct tools and having each tool ripped out of your hands and broken. It means you’ve been cursed at, lied to, cheated on, deceived and betrayed.
Because the unfair truth to becoming ‘The Good One’ is that we must first experience every negative energy and poor-minded behavior that the human race can offer.
We must be lied to—to learn the value of honesty.
We must be cheated on—to feel how one person can selfishly destroy and devastate another by a single thoughtless act. Thus teaching us that fidelity and monogamy are a choice and worthy of being protected.
We must be cursed at—to learn that spoken words cannot be unsaid.
We must be deceived—to learn the comfort that comes with being able to trust another without question.
We must be hated and abandoned—to know what commitment and true unconditional love have the ability to offer us.
No, being ‘The Good One’ didn’t come from birth and a naive upbringing of sunshine and roses. It didn’t come with never having to experience strife, confrontation, or loss.
It comes with strength to rise above what tries to break us. It comes as a choice to be better and more than what is expected of us. It starts with a decision in one’s heart and soul that is developed into being by our actions and experiences.
Then, and only then, will you be able to see the label of ‘The Good One’ in the reflection of yourself in other people’s eyes. Because then it becomes your solo fight. Not theirs. Not anyone else’s. Yours. To do with what you have learned through repetitive HARD truths.
You ARE ‘The Good One’ because you went through the darkness and didn’t let it consume you…
You ARE ‘The Good One’ because you chose to rise above confrontation and responded in kindness and love…
You ARE ‘The Good One’ because you didn’t let the world break you when the weight of life was so suddenly upon you…
You ARE ‘The Good One’ simply enough because you chose to be… and held onto that desire with every ounce of your being.
So with that I applaud you…
I celebrate you…
Maybe when every other person in this world is against you.
I support you…
For in my eyes, you really are one of ‘The Good Ones’…
by K. B. Lever