Show me your teeth

If you are wondering where this *interesting* title is coming from I am watching the Netflix series "You," and Joe told Beck "Sometimes to survive, you have to show them your teeth." (side note, I am not promoting anything, I am just giving proof of my Netflix addiction.) I heard him this say this to her and I really liked the fierceness of it. I always have had this obsession with not wanting to appear weak.. unfortunately if someone digs deep enough and hits me right where it hurts, I might just crumble, (not speaking from experience or anything.) Something I have learned though is that you can crumble for a minute or in my case a couple, but you have to stand back up and show them your teeth. I don't mean this in the sense of retaliating or being mean, but more of showing your own strength and your own power. This could apply to so many things, maybe its the bully at your school, the parent who doesn't show up, the boyfriend/girlfriend that doesn't realize what they are losing when it comes to you or even the best friend who walked all over you. You can be sad, you can completely let it take over your life, you can be like me, who couldn't get myself to eat and had to be picked up off the floor of my bedroom.. but why would you do that, when you are so important. I had a friend tell me, "It's okay to be sad right now, but how long are you going to let yourself be sad." I struggled with this, because I thought, well I don't know.. let me just snap my fingers and say just kidding, I'm not sad anymore. But what's funny, is that is what I kind of ended up doing. I went to the place in my heart emotionally that was making me so sad, and I went to the place physically that was making me so sad and said Goodbye. Obviously, that didn't mean that I was able to just forget the pain or to forget what caused it.. but I decided that it was time for me to survive. I don't know who is reading this or hearing it, but know that you can survive. I have had to use this strategy is quite a few different scenarios.. which I can't give away to early so you have to wait for it.. cliff hanger.. my life has been a roller coaster and what's the fun if we can't make a couple jokes out of this big mess trying to give advice.