The semicolon movement exists to remind people struggling with depression, suicide, addiction, and self-harm that their story isn't over yet. You can (and probably should) check them out here.

However, you don't have to be anxious, depressed, or hurting yourself to benefit from the idea of the semicolon. Maybe the pages of your life unfolded in an unfair manner, or maybe they're stained from someone who cast themselves into your story unscripted. Maybe it's not a bad life; maybe you're simply stuck in monotony, or maybe things haven't gone according to plan.

Thankfully, our stories don't have to end on a sour note.

Grammatically, a semicolon is used to connect two sentences. To tie this idea together, I'm going to ask you to imagine that the circumstances of life make up our first sentence, and our response to those circumstances compose the second.

Their story was anything but pleasant. The cruelties of life were as countless as the sand on the seashore; even still, they persisted with an uncanny determination that the beginning chapters would not define them.

Life can oftentimes be as perplexing as it is beautiful. Whether you're up against a bad start, a rocky middle, or a few turns and dips along the way, now can be the moment where you author in a semicolon. This instant, you can decide to pause and alter the upcoming outcome. The happenstance of life doesn't have to be the end word, but your rebuttal can be. That's wildly hopeful.

So, to my fellow life embracers, this is your moment to shine. Your story is largely unwritten; how will you finish?