By Aaron Hughey
Getting better is not just a process—it is a journey. It is a thousand-piece puzzle that not even grandma can finish in a few days. Getting better takes a lifetime because we are constantly trying to become our best selves.
That is the goal, right? To be the best version of ourselves.
But what does it mean when we start going in circles? When we keep passing the same signs and avoiding the exits?
What does it mean when we circumvent any and every possible solution to getting better? Are we stuck? Helpless? Or just isolated? Maybe none of those. Maybe we are just lost.
The road to getting better is long and turns every direction when you least expect it. The whole idea is to stay on course, continue on the path and not get lost. But how do we avoid getting lost when we don’t know where we are going?
“Eyes forward and feet pointed straight,” they always say. But they never tell us where to go, we’re stuck finding that out on our own. That is the trouble. Where do we start?
The first step in Alcoholics Anonymous is admittance, but not everyone is an alcoholic. We all have our own problems, but the solution starts the same, admitting you have one. Once you have figured that out, you can take the steps to get better. But it is not that easy.
It is not just a set of simple stairs leading to better days. It is a monumental climb over a thousand mountains that seem to grow taller with every step. It is a moving sidewalk pulling you back. Every single step could be the wrong direction and you are stuck not knowing which way is up.
But it is not all bad. Every step feels good because you are trying and that is what is so important. You are trying. It does not matter if every step is right because you are still stepping. You are still doing anything and everything you can.
That mountain will stop growing eventually. That moving sidewalk will stop. You will be able to get off and be yourself. All it takes is time, patience and effort. Time to find the right path, patience to make it through and effort to complete the journey.
Aaron Hughey is a junior writing major from Anderson, Indiana.