People respond “I am fine”, “No, nothing is happening” and “I am okay” when they are actually not fine at all and something is going wrong in their lives.
An unemployed father of two going through a rough time put out a desperate tweet on social media and ended up getting thousands of messages of support within hours.
South England native, Edmund O’Leary, sent a tweet on Friday night: “I am not ok. Feeling rock bottom. Please take a few seconds to say hello if you see this tweet. Thank you.” Twitter users from around the world rallied around him in support responding with messages of support and words of encouragement.
Hi Edmund from Florida. I admire your bravery for just speaking up and being so open. Not many can. Here’s a photo of my attempted “lamb cake” A few Easters ago. If anything, I hope it makes you laugh. Much love. pic.twitter.com/i33QDeuZxj
— Jennifer Holton FOX 13 (@jennholtonFOX) October 17, 2020
So beautiful. Sending you love & strength. ❤️My sister who passed away sends me butterflies to let me know she’s still with me. This particular one showed up on my birthday, and proceeded to climb up my arm and onto my face where it stayed for a long time while I cried. 🦋 pic.twitter.com/AOhbHEDa1q
— 🦇Feardalump (@ferdalump) October 17, 2020
Hi Edmund. I bought my mom two kittens after her beloved cat of 19 years died. Here’s one of them, Lulu, playing. Things get better. They always do. pic.twitter.com/RK7ybWIWQk
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 17, 2020
In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor.” Life can be hard for all of us at times, but overcoming challenges is what makes us stronger. Nothing worth having comes easy, so keep fighting! All the best mate x pic.twitter.com/6DqSXRbNKV
— Brian Blessed Jr. (@simonsaysfukoff) October 19, 2020
Hi Edmund, you are not alone. So many people are feeling exactly that way at the minute. Never forget that you are loved & there are people who care about you. We see you like 747s; here’s one just for you, along with a picture of dawn in Dublin. Sending you hugs from back home. pic.twitter.com/x2TyI06uD7
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) October 17, 2020
They offered to help him with his CV, invited him for coffee, kids presented their artwork to him, and people sent him pictures of pets and funny memes to cheer him up. O’Leary responded with gratitude to some of them and is still yet to respond to the more than 76,000 comments he received. What an encouragement it must have been to O’Leary to receive a ton of encouragement in his lowest time.