I took this photo a long while back, right after buying my first nice camera. Every time I see it, I think of the song “Blackbird” by The Beatles. It’s funny how certain images can always spark the same memories. For me, it’s the same tune: “Blackbird singing in the dead of night / Take these broken wings and learn to fly.“

If there’s one thing the last year has taught me, it’s that we’re all broken, in some way–but that, most of the time, we do our best to hide it. Most of the time, others don’t see the breaks. The pain. The hurt. We’re told to put on a brave face, and we do.

We’re good at faking it until we make it.

But walking on a broken leg–flying on a broken wing–often just makes it worse.

It’s okay to be broken. And it’s okay to say you’re broken.

Above all, it’s okay to ask for help.

Because we’re all broken. And we’re all still learning to fly.

It’s not easy. And that’s okay. Things that matter rarely are. But if we all lean on each other and learn together… then maybe, one day, we’ll be able to soar together, too.