It's so easy for us to forget, myself especially, that we are not the only ones who are dealing with pain in our everyday lives. All too often we fall into the trap in thinking that other people "have their lives together", when the reality might be that they just do a better job of masking their problems and hardships. The older I get, the more I realize that we are all tested by life, and that none of us are likely to leave our earthly life unscathed by what has happened to us.
That's why I love R.E.M.'s 1992 hit song "Everybody Hurts". It really makes you think about the multitude of issues that we are all facing in our individual lives, and yet we can be so unaware of what other people are dealing with -- that's why I believe we all need to work on being extra kind and understanding to one another -- because we are all dealing with various kinds of hurt in our lives. I always find this song comforting when I'm having a rough day.
