a shitty day

Today has been a shitty day. One of those days when the ax falls and hope's severed for good. I've been here before, many times, and at the end of it all, all you can do is shrug your shoulders and keep trudging along. It's been the theme of my life thus far, so I've gotten quite good at it. Shitty days are best spent not wallowing in thoughts that bring pain but in remembering all the good that surrounds you. These days I remind myself how blessed and lucky I am to be known and loved by people who I consider family, regardless of blood type. My friends, those who stick closer to a brother, mean a lot to me. Lots of friends go in and out of your life, but there are some that will stick by you no matter what. I've taken such friendships for granted most of my life, but seeing more-and-more that such friendships are rare, and it's even rarer for someone to have as many of these friendships as I do, makes me all the more thankful, and aware, of the inherent blessing. Here's a little collage of *some of* those people who mean so much to me, those people whose faces are lit in the glow of The Walking Dead on Monday Nights, those whose opinions, support, and encouragement I would do far worse without.