Stress kills- I agree with that statement- Yet, I’m pretty sure you can think of at least one individual that would lean more toward “stress is life”- When a situation is going along swimmingly for everyone involved, they’ll be the unhappy one- They’ll be the one desperately looking for cracks in the finish, the flaws THEY bring to everyone’s attention, anything to diffuse the happiness they don’t know how to enjoy-

When a situation is fraught with strife, that’s their time to shine- “She’s so strong!” “He really knows how to take charge of a situation!” While the rest of us are wringing our hands, they’re the ones showing up early to work, making the phone calls to the insurance company, cleaning up the storm debris while the storm is still raging, making the eulogy without breaking down…

Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to have these individuals step up when the shit hits the fan- Isn’t that unflappable nature a little bit disturbing though? They don’t just deal with hardship, they glow while dealing with it- Picture a toothy grin sneaking out whilst burying the beloved family dog- Noone else could handle such a sad task, so they took the shovel and the favorite blanket and boldly strode outside to the mutterings of, “Thank God for her, she’s so strong! Noone loved that dog more than she did!” But did she really love that dog? Does she love ANYthing, truly?

What is weakness or strength in character? I think  it’s a show of bravery to cry at a son leaving home for college- I’d say it’s show of weakness to not flinch at a loved one’s deadly disease diagnosis- But who am I to judge, when the rest of the world honors the George Pattons and votes despots into power?