It Gets Better

Sun, 2012-08-19 15:09 — Gregor

Actor/Writer Gregor Collins

Last night at around one in the morning I was sitting in my car at a red light on the corner of Hollywood and Bronson, nearly home after a potluck dinner party in the valley. A homeless guy materialized out of the shadows with his cardboard sign and stood there on the curb staring at me with a shit-eating grin, just waiting for me to acknowledge him. I didn’t. I stuck to my guns and I stared forward to show him his presence meant absolutely nothing to me. Turn green, light, I don’t need this right now.

But he kept staring, and I kept seeing red. After a few moments it grew uncomfortable. So I rolled my eyes and gave him what he wanted. When our eyes met he smiled at me in a drunken, maniacal sort of way, as if he was reveling in the fact that he had won. Great, I thought. So glad I did that. I went back to staring forward fantasizing about how comfortable my bed was about to feel.

“It gets better,” a voice said. My window was cracked so I heard it, but I ignored it, and decided I would never look at this guy again the rest of my life.

“HEY,” he said loudly and forcefully, and walked right up to my window. I had no choice at this point. I threw him the look of death. He didn't flinch.

“I can see it in your eyes. It’s gonna get better.”

He said it so purposely that I suddenly felt my tear ducts clocking in for work. It had been an emotional week, capped off by an emotional night. He was seeing the truth.

The light finally turned green and we parted ways.

We’re all struggling daily to make sense of life, frequently convincing ourselves it’s worse than it really is. But it’s those unlikely angels that come into our lives when we least expect them, who reassure us to keep fighting the good fight.

It WILL get better.

Check out Gregor's new film Goodbye Promise, and become a part of the first ever feature film distributed online through a crowdfunding platform.

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