Nobody puts baillee in the corner

The Guest is not only one of my favorite horror movies, but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. I can’t (and won’t) give you any context because I don’t want to ruin an ounce of this movie for you, but I will say it’s about a soldier visiting the family of a fallen soldier he served with, and it’s a mix of Halloween and The Terminator. That being said, you won’t have any idea how this blog post ties in until you watch the movie, but I’m willing to live with that because you need to go watch the movie. Done? Let’s get started.

I thoroughly enjoy helping people. The downside is the way you want to help sometimes doesn’t align with the help someone wants or needs. Sometimes, you think you know what’s best for someone, or you want to help so badly that it ends up a little messy.

It’s easy to act based on what you think someone should do because you just want to help them out so badly. It’s often hard to not insert yourself into their situation using your own personal bias or your experience. It’s especially hard when someone you love is going through a hard time, and you want to do whatever it takes to help them through it. But sometimes, you just have to wait for them to come to you.

You have to listen to what they need. You have to respect their wishes if they want to handle a situation differently than how you would. You have to find how to support them. Ask them. Listen to them. Sometimes, they may just want someone to be there to sit with them. Other times, they may just want some space. Be receptive to their needs.

It’s so easy to want to help so badly that it makes the situation so much worse. The best intentions can quickly gain the worst consequences. You have to help the ones you love the way they want to be helped, whether it be a supportive text message or phone call or running over with a bottle of tequila.

You can’t jump in, guns a’ blazin’ to be the hero of the story; that’s how you end up the villain. People will let you know how they need to be helped and respecting their needs is the best way you can help. Be a crying shoulder. Be a sweet text message. Be an Oreo supplier. Be completely receptive to someone’s needs.

Just don’t be a David.