@EastCoastDamsel ❤❤️ So glad you are here with us too. Keep at it. It's worth it. YOU'RE worth it. Honestly. I know it's horrible at the moment. It won't always be.
I have just remembered a poem I read somewhere, when I was younger. I'm not one for poetry much, but this stayed with me, remained, and saw me through some very, very tough times - long before drinking was ever a factor in my life - and it's just popped into my head again now, while I was tapping out this little reply to @EastCoastDamsel ! Most odd. But here it is, for you all.
It's called Keep Going, by Edgar Guest, and was originally written, I think, in 1921.
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
And the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems
To a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up when he
Might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.
It's when things seem worst that
You must not quit.
The number of times I have repeated to myself those last three lines; in a variety of situations, is too many to reckon. Apologies if it's a bit twee - but I share it with you now with love from me and Sid.
Keep going. xx