We Break, We Bleed, We Wonder

As heroic and/or nonchalant as the brave face may be, we must always be mindful of the frail humanity behind it.

A tiny snippet of Jersey Girl brought on this post. It was the scene where Ollie (Ben Affleck's character) was talking to Maya (Liv Tyler's) about leaving New Jersey for NYC to push his PR career further. The move meant uprooting his daughter from the family he's reconnected with, and cutting short the life he could've had with Maya.

She automatically turns on her brave face. Shielding herself from the what-ifs, Maya takes the high road with Ollie: how will the move affect his young Gertrude, who will benefit most from the new life in NYC, what about his father, will he be left alone in New Jersey to fend yet again for himself? Deflections to get the topic off the possibility of "them." Ollie tries to bring it up, saying maybe when he and Gertie visit his dad in New Jersey, they could meet up for coffee or something. She goes, "Why? You think I'll be sticking around here for long?"

Yep, Kennon. Pump up the pride, think of the family, spotlight on him and never her. It's the way of the giver. After their brief talk, Maya says her goodbye, as nonchalantly as possible, then rushes indoors to bawl her eyes out. Of course, Ollie never sees the tears. In his head, she doesn't care about the thought of "them," which gives him the opportunity to focus on his life with his daughter. Brilliant, ain't it?

In reality, this is something that happens on a near day-to-day basis. Regular Juans put up the force field to showcase they're okay everyday. "No need to worry about what goes on here, we're all fine and dandy so go on and think of your own shit." They're the people who refuse to be in anyone's hair, but still give to the marrow without seeking the limelight.

They bleed the most, and break only when no one's looking. Their unseen tears are like the tree that falls in the forest. If no one saw the tree fall, did it really fall in the first place?

Not necessarily the martyr, they're more like pillars. Everyone else leans on them for support without ever realizing that, hey, maybe they need to lean back and rest against someone once in a while, too. They never show weakness, because in their head, they need to be the strong one. They're the ones who'll never wonder out loud because no one likes the person who reads between too many non-existent lines. Strong on the outside, frail on the in.

Everyday, they bleed, they break and they wonder, too. Look around you and see if anyone in your immediate circle fits the bill. Trust me, they need the release the most; maybe you can be the outlet to jumpstart the flow.

'Cause not everyone's got a blog for crazies like this.