Tuesday, December 13, 2016

A Letter to Chuck: Post from Crisis Week

Dear Chuck,

Are you really killing yourself to live? Are you sure that life is what’s killing you? I’m not so sure. I learned in my Psychology 101 class in college that we are in control of our emotions. As Michelle Obama said in her speech at the Democratic National Convention, “When they go low, we go high.” We always have the opportunity to transcend our circumstances – haven’t you heard quotes about that? “It’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand.” I know you’ve heard that before!

When I ran into you yesterday on the streets of Kensington, you told me that you were looking for love. You told me that some girl named Quincy whom you used to love decided to get married, but that you aren’t upset about it. You told me you viewed her marriage as a loss; it was a game, there was a winner, and there was a loser. You were the loser.

You talked about how certain people become the model for what love should feel like, and that Quincy will forever be your barometer.

I asked why you came to Kensington. You said that you drove until you felt like you’d arrived. I asked what that meant. You said you always knew when you had found love. I don’t know how I feel about your blanket statements, Chuck.

Before you left, you told me that you were dying. You said that every time someone left you, a piece of your soul died – slowly, and then all at once. I asked you to look around. I asked you to read the news. I asked you to question what you were thinking. I asked you to open your eyes.


And, I’m not sure you will, Chuck. You will probably go back to Spin Magazine and fall in love and out of love and continue making melodramatic statements. That’s okay, I guess. That’s okay.

- Bess 

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