Sonder: Youth Mental Health Stories of Struggle & Strength | Page 23

The Grass is Greener where you Water it
By Ellie Peak
When something bad happens in our life, our soul grows weak
and our smile no longer shows. Its like all of the happiness is
getting pushed out by darkness. Why let that happen? Why not
be stronger than that darkness. Focus on the positive in the
moment, even when you feel like breaking down. Like what we
all say, the grass is greener where you water it.
My emotional struggle happened in the year of 2017. The month
was February, that was the month my grandma went into the
hospital. When I first heard this news, I was devastated. My
grandma was not only my family, but my best friend. I could tell
her anything, cry on her shoulder, or laugh until my stomach was
sore from all of our giggles. Except, instead of my stomach being
sore from laughing, it was filled with butterflies from, as it felt
like, the darkest part of the world.
Right away I wanted to see her, hug her and tell it was going to
be okay. You are strong enough, you will beat this. Sadly, that
did not turn out as I thought it would have. When I got there to
her room, level four, room 4402, I walked in with a grin on my
face. A grin that shortly turned into a dark frown that turned
into tears. Tears on my cheeks, down to my quivering lip. I saw
her there, on the bed with a tube on her mouth, and cords in
her arm. She couldn't even open her eyes. She couldn't talk.
She couldn't smile. She couldn't even breathe on her own. Her
face was stuck in time with a feeling that was screaming out
to me, help. I couldn't help her. I couldn't help my grandma, my
best friend, the only person I could tell anything to. That's when
my soul was turning dark and crippling down to nothing but
negativity and darkness.
Abuse, Addiction, & Loss  21