There are moments in life that seem impossible. That feel impossible. Moments where you’d much rather pull the covers back over your head or build a blanket fort and just…hide from it all.

This week, someone needed my help with an awful situation, and I had some knowledge that might be helpful/useful. So, I wrote it all out and sent it off in the hopes that what I know is worth something. That what I went through had a purpose.

I garnered that information during one of the worst times in my life. Hardest times. Whatever term you want to use, it sucked beyond the telling of it. (Buffy shoutout, yes.) Somehow, in the stretch of time, I managed to do the impossible—what felt utterly impossible to me, in the moment.

There are things in life that you think you can’t get through. There are things in life you think you might not survive. But you do. And you are changed, yes, but you are still yourself—still here. And the thing that you thought would take you down did not.

Sometimes, I downplay my own resilience. Like, what else was I supposed to do? Quit? Give up? Not step in and do the thing? Pshaw. In the moment, transformation feels inevitable in a lot of ways, but I’m not sure that’s true. I think it’s probably a choice, a growth point, a moment that could go either way. You simply have to decide which.

A lot of people I know and love find themselves at a crossroads lately. A lot of people I know and love are dealing with hard things.

If this is also you, listen to me a moment: you can do hard things. You are stronger than you think. You are braver than you think. Remember this. Repeat it to yourself if you need to. But let it sink in.

So far, you’ve kicked all of your worst/bad days in the face. You have survived. You are here and breathing. And that’s pretty badass.

No one likes having to do hard things. It sucks. And it’s okay to say it sucks. It’s okay to go for a run about it. To punch a heavy bag about it. To have a glass of wine with your best friend and yell about it.

But when shit gets real, when shit hits the fan, when things go sideways, remember: you can do hard things.

Capisce? Capisce.

• One of my amazing friends is a brilliant jeweler, and they’re having a 20% sale. You must check out Sofia Zakia’s goodies.

• If you are a registered vote, please vote on or before Nov. 3. Unsure about all the things? Go to vote.org. Because I don’t know about you, but I love to use my voice. And a vote is a voice.

• VisionQuest continues to be one of my favorite things, and I love the writing and the subtlety in the performances so far. It’s poignant and funny, and I am enjoying the hell out of it. (If you want a laugh, I did Spader’s monologue from The Office.)