oh hi. We are soft-launching a new thing today: awesomecoffeeclub.com It's a subscription service for coffee. We deliver great coffee to you every month, and 100% of profits go to support stronger healthcare systems in impoverished communities. The coffee is sourced directly from small farmers' collectives in Colombia, with a focus on 1. paying a premium to farmers to increase pay, and 2. supporting communities that are actively working to eliminate deforestation. It's awesome coffee you can feel good about. -John
I wish there was decaf. (My brain doesn’t let me have so much caffeine). But I completely understand not having it available in the beginning especially.
I try to remind myself of a similar quote by Albert Camus whenever I'm struggling in life. "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer." John, you may have just shown me that love is the key to unlocking that invincible summer within oneself. Food for thought!🖖🖖
@@djoakeydoakey1076 it's true and I feel like it's important to add that The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus is a (philosophical) essay on suicide and absurdity, and I haven't finished it just yet, but there are many details in it which are helping me while I'm struggling
I also want to point out that I have almost no philosophical notions, so if anyone wants to give it a try, don't hesitate to, I don't think you need to know much about philosophy (just keep your favorite search engine nearby but no need for in depth research) to be able to give it a try
Spring is coming reminds me of a similar line from Hadestown: “On a sunny day there was a railroad car, and a lady stepping off the train. Everybody looked and everybody saw, that spring had come again. “
John, I cannot describe HOW MUCH I NEEDED to hear this, I'm writing this in tears for I'm a high school senior that has been burnt out and have beaten up for quite a while now ..and hopelessness drenched me and I've been wet from it ever since... I really want turn it around but I found myself failing at that too. Thank you John, thank you, for reminding me that as Emily Dickinson puts it " My now is not my forever" ...
As someone who felt the same way exactly 2 years ago, it makes me really sad to see that you and so many others are struggling like this. Please consider taking a gap year before you move on to your next phase of life-whatever it may be. It was difficult to pull myself out of burnout, but time is the greatest healer. Would highly recommend Unjaded Jade's vlogs of her gap year if you're interested. I'm feeling and doing much better as a current college freshman, and I believe in you :)
I worry a lot that if I publish a book, as a TH-camr, people will only think it sold because I have an audience, so your "I want to prove to the world that I *am* a good writer" really hits home, but I really do need to work on writing less out of that spite and more out of my love. Cheers John 🌻
Who cares if _"people will only think it sold because you had an audience."_ Heck, who cares if that is even true? Use the advantages that you're given. _All of them._ It's hard enough to get published _with_ a TH-cam following. The DaVinci Code sold twice the amount of books as To Kill a Mockingbird. Please use that fact to try to convince me that better written books sell more copies...
You already have two books out there that people find great. Do people say that they only do well because of your audience? If not what would switching genres have to do with it?
Hi Tim! You're a good TH-camr ~because~ you're a good writer. That came first, and no one can take that away. I've learned so much from you, and you have absolutely nothing to prove. If that didn't help, this might cheer you up: I love your episodes about writing, but I've never seen Avatar: the Last Airbender, so a fair bit went over my head. (I actually watched your three hour movie rant and still learned something about writing). Recently, I decided it was time to take the plunge so I could get more from your videos. Thanks to you, I just started Book 3, and I'm loving it!
"In the depths of winter, you feel like it will never be spring." Yup, that got me. John's ability to put into words the amorphous feelings that haunt my mind reminds me of a quote from George Orwell's 1984: "The best books, he perceived, are those that tell you what you know already."
After almost two years of being stuck unable to do almost anything, due to some sort of medical problem doctors can't figure out, it's really hard to believe spring will ever come. But despite the doctors failing me, I've at least found ways to adapt and slowly heal, and it's starting to feel like things will eventually be okay.
My partner and I recently had a discussion about our core values, and I realized that what really pushes me through and what I feel defines how I lead my life is Love. Love for the people around me, both family and strangers alike, love for the things I do and learn, love for the earth and the sky and every blade of grass and pencil shred there is. I have fallen in love with the world and am overjoyed to spend my time in it. Thank you, John (and Hank!) for helping me to realize this love as well as continue to develop it - I am in your debt, and I love you.
i guess i'll join the chorus of people who are both, time and time again, surprised and thankful for your words in these times. I teach at a local institute for remedial learning and tutoring, and my colleagues and i are worried about a lot of our kids. In fact i've just come home from class, wondering how in all that is good these children will grow up, what their world will look like, how i can help them not succumb to a seemingly unending winter. And you are right. With compassion. With kindness. With love. The fuel that burns both bright and clean. It reminds me of P.L.Dunbars poem "The Lesson", from 1913, which closes: So I sang a lay for a brother's ear In a strain to soothe his bleeding heart, And he smiled at the sound of my voice and lyre, Though mine was a feeble art. But at his smile I smiled in turn, And into my soul there came a ray: In trying to soothe another's woes Mine own had passed away. Your video has, once again, made me smile and soothed my woes. I hope yours may also have passed a little. I wish you all the best.
This video is so timely for me. I'm in the process of a very demotivating and demoralizing period in my life. I have been using the wrong fuels for so many things for so long and it's completely burned me out and I'm struggling to build up different fuel to go off of.
I hear this. It’s hard to realize what fuel I’ve been using, often subconsciously (shame, much?), and even when I can recognize and acknowledge that it’s not effective or healthy for me, trying to figure out how to switch my default fuel to something else is tough.
If hope is the thing with feathers, then love is the thing with wings. Someone else said that, I’m sure. Was it John? I can’t remember. But it is nonetheless a true thing.
I believe John used the quote as he reflected on Donald Trump's election. 'Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tiny song of love and never stops at all.'
The past months I've been in deep with depression & anxiety, clinging to any passages, songs, or videos that help get me through the day. The final few seconds of this video sparked a hope in me that I haven't truly believed in for a long time. Thank you John
This is so timely. I live in Texas and *just* yesterday I was thinking how every winter I forget what it’s like to feel hot. I’m not motivated so much by resentment, but fear is a big one for me. And you’re right, it never goes away no matter how hard I work. Thank you so much for this perspective on the issue.❤️
I know your videos resonate with a lot of people, as they should. But as someone struggling with survivor syndrome while my country is being destroyed, and being fuelled by both anger and love at the same time, this feels very personal. "Surviving and turning around the bad times together" is a perfect summary of what we Ukrainians are going through. Thank you, John.
💙💛💙💛💙💛 Maryna, i'm glad you're safe. Your fellow Ukrainians fighting for your country are also glad you're safe. You are the future of Ukraine for which they are fighting. I'm so sorry you're going through this, and that your country is going through this. -John
My mental health has been the worst it’s been in a long time for the past week. Just a numb kind of existence that makes it hard to do anything. What’s helped me is recently, on TikTok, you asked everyone to go on a walk with you. I dueted you and went on the walk that first day and now have watched that same video every day to do one thing, go on a stupid daily walk. It isn’t life changing or healing but it means I get one thing done a day. Thank for walking with me John.
I'm so glad you're doing that one thing for yourself with an assist from John. It is so hard to do the work of being kind and caring for ourselves when our mental health goes wonky, which is frustrating, given that those are the moments when we need it most. So here's a little extra kindness for you today: Thank you for continuing. Thank you for going on walks. Thank you for putting food in your body and hydrating. I'm really proud of you for doing that for yourself, and for continuing even when it's hard. Keep going, and know that I'm cheering for you every step of the way. You have the strength you need to get through this. DFTBA!
@@untappedinkwell thank you!❤️❤️❤️ you’re the best! Yesterday was a amazing day. The sun came out for the first time in weeks, I cleaned my room for the first time in a while, I got to see friends and eat good food! It was finally a good day
@@moiradarling97 Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!!! I am *so* glad you had a good day and thank you so much for sharing it with me! That sounds so fantastic, especially the good food and the time with friends. AND you have a clean room now!! Way to go!!! I hope your next good day comes soon.
I love seeing organic conversations from Dear Hank & John become polished stories in videos, projects, even books eventually. It's a nice process to see and demonstrates your motivation idea. Compassion for a question asker coupled with love of a brother and a few tangents.
I was literally telling my therapist yesterday that I am having to learn the difference between an unknown ending and unending. Hard times may have an unknown ending-- but they are not unending.
Thank you for reminding me that our winters won't last forever. I am bedbound by chronic illness and for the past two years, due the pandemic and a weakened immune system, I have been cut off from my friends and family. I miss them and my community so much but being part of the Nerdfighter community brings me solace.
John you made me both smile and cry in a video three and a half minutes long and I'm sure I'm not alone in the experience. Thank you for this earnest and hopeful pep-talk that I know I'll revisit so many more times in the future when it feels like winter and it'd make me feel the same way, always: that I'm seen and understood.
I’m the guy who posted on your March 1st video about my wife having just died of cancer less than 12 hours before watching that video (hanging in there, by the way), and I loved this line from today’s video: “Love is not forged not only in the good times; it is also forged in surviving and turning around the bad times together.” That really speaks to me right now. Many of us affected by my wife’s passing have seen love in the tremendous outpouring of support from not only one another but from complete strangers. I love especially that the strangers have no reason to feel an attachment to my family. They just have an attachment to the idea of community, an idea that when one of us is suffering, we are all suffering. Hang in there, everyone. Whatever you are going through, I am over here rooting for you, though we may never meet. I care about you.
My channel started (Mostly) because I was dumped a few months previous by a woman I loved more than 19 year old me was prepaired to love another person. I wanted to prove that I was worthy and thought if I got successful she'd think it was a mistake and reconsider. The resentment made me brave enough to put my face on camera Today we are great friends and my relationships are much healthier, for having a better, less external validation driven view of success and love. I relate really hard to video. When making videos these days I try to think about the people who will comment that they learned something new - Occasionally a teacher says they showed it to they're students for class, and how much I myself like learning in the research process. Thank you
God, I needed this, been worried about college entrances and future career choices. I find your books and videos very comforting amidst all this confusion :)
As someone who was also in this place last year with the pandemic making everything worse, I know it's hard but I assure you that spring WILL come. Good luck y'all!
My life is in shambles, really. This video is much needed. Thank you John. I love, no I adore the things you say. I love your podcast and it helps a lot. Respect from Algeria ✨🎩
Yes LOVE! Bring on the cheese, man, because I'm here for it. I've been very grateful for this community over the past few years because it makes me feel less isolated, but also because everyone here is kind and loving. I love all y'all and hope that your metaphorical spring comes sooner than you think.
Hey John, just wanted to say thank you for helping me get through high school. That was 10 years ago. Today, I’m in my final semester of my masters and I’m so comforted to have these videos in all the hard times since.
Thank you for this. My dad unexpectedly passed in early November and the holidays/winter has been very hard for me. This grief has been disorienting and the love and patience you talk about is what has gotten me through. It is so important to remember that the seasons will continue to change and that I am not alone in feeling such heavy things. Thank you as always for this community and putting into words what I cannot.
In nerdfighteria, we have a saying when a loved one passes away. If I may: May you dad Rest in Awesome. I am so glad our community has helped in such a difficult time, and I hope you get to carry that into spring. Best wishes.
one of my very favorite quotes from Vincent Van Gogh is about this. I love too how he writes that "...even without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frost," seasons change and so do we, and we can get through this with time and patience and love
I agree that knowing others have worse troubles does not really help with my own, but reading these comments reminds me that, whilst we are apart in our troubles, we are all together in having to battle them and there's something comforting in that.
John this was the perfect video for the perfect day. I had a breakdown in my car after work (I'm a HS counselor that's doing both my job and the MS counselor's job until the new one starts in a month). I really needed this video today. I also hope you got a hug at the end of that video because you sounded like you were getting choked up. It's okay, John! We'll get through it.
Somehow the most comforting part of this was John stating that he has no idea what kind of problems I'm dealing with, except that they're real. I think maybe I just needed the blunt honesty. And actually, it's nice that we can not know together, because I really don't understand a lot of what I'm dealing with right now. Not knowing together may not actually be super productive, but it's strangely encouraging and validating.
"The way things are is simply not the way they will always be" taking this as reassurance that the Awesome Coffee Club will ship internationally in the future 😭🙏
On a sunny day, there was a railroad car And a lady steppin’ off a train Everybody looked and everybody saw That spring had come again With a love song
I have recently found myself surrounded with despair and worry around my personal life. Listening to this gave me faith that perhaps not all is as bad as it seems, that faith is not actually fruitless despite how meager the future may seem. I could really use a hug right now. But this helped.
Thank you for this. I just had to say goodbye to my 10 year old velocikeet yesterday. Had her 9 years. At first she was fearful and traumatized from previous owner, then tolerant of me at best, to one year of her deciding I was awesome and she couldn't wait for me to hang with her. She had abdominal swelling that was making it harder and harder for her to breathe, and I knew it was time. She was a smart, feisty little force of nature, and I am missing her terribly. I try to remind myself of the saying "where there is great grief, there is great love". I love these short videos, both you and Hank pack so much into them.
Last night, I rewatched old videos on this channel for a pep talk. Even though my favorite pep talk was you talking about distractions and how you find solutions in moments of silence, this pep talk might beat that one.
Thank you for this video John. My friend passed away last night and it’s been a rough morning sorting through the grief. This helped to lift my spirits 💕 rest peacefully Annette
I really really needed this today- my dad is dying of terminal cancer and it feels like it’s going to be winter forever and I’ll never be happy again. This video was like handwarmers in my pockets, it doesn’t change the cold around me but it has helped make it a little bit easier to deal with.
spring is coming, you may be pretty sure about that. for the darker times being, give the world - including yourself - the love it deserves, because it has given you so much already. and it will continue doing so for much more time, if we're lucky
I have been through some metaphorical winters that emerged into metaphorical springs and so now whenever I find myself in winter I tell myself that even though the cold is all I can think about I have experienced spring coming when I though it never would before. It makes the dark times a little easier to endure.
Your story of being fueled by anger and fear reminds me a lot of Prince Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. We see him change the reasons for his firebending from anger and fear, and it makes him not only a better person, but also a better firebender. You are an inspiration John! Keep up the great work!
In my experience, love feeds a soul more than anything else can. So nerdfighteria, today's self care tip is this: feed your soul. How you do that is up to you, but odds are good it will include some form of love. Love of friends, family, self, ocean, nature, pets, fellow humans, community, activities, sports--whatever fills you with that spark, spend a little bit of time with it. And if you don't know what that is, or if it's been a long time since you felt that spark, that's okay. It might mean that you need to rest or take a break so that that spark can find its way to you. It's there. Like the spring, it will return in time. And while I put love into everything I do here, if you didn't know: I love you nerdfighteria. DFTBA!
Through the long winter I just kept thinking of those lyrics from Hadestown ‘Spring will come again’. I am here at the brink of spring. And the truth is as evident in the world as it is in this beautiful video. Thank you for the years of giving voice to emotions.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed john tearing up at the end of the video!? Thanks John, i was so pent up to shed some tears and you helped me up, Thank you so much
I had a really, really bad day today that was full of fear and anger and heartache, and then finally sleep. Everything you just said cut right into my core and made me so grateful to live in a world where people are able to express their thoughts in a succinct and thoughtful enough way to impact others for the better. I've said before in difficult times that things were turning black around the edges, and lately that darkness is ebbing more quickly into every aspect of my life. Through that, however, there are still things that shine and bring peace, and this is one of them. Thank you. Thank you.
Hey John - When I was younger (probably around the same age you were, writing your first novel!), I too let fear and resentment and, yes, righteous indignation burn as my fuel too. And as you noted, it worked ... but it also left me with one hell of a mess. I got into therapy (and received my diagnoses) some years later and what you call 'Love' in this video I envision as 'Gratitude' instead. Not least of all because "Attitude of Gratitude" rhymes and it helps it to stick in my brain. But of the many (many, many!) lessons I learned in my years of therapy, embracing gratitude as a mindset came easiest to me: the idea that I am owed and entitled to nothing, and ought to remind myself of that regularly, so that I look at the world through grateful eyes. Every morning I wake up in a comfortable bed, inside a climate-controlled home, then walk downstairs (under my own power!) to access readily-available food and clean water, and that's the first 10 minutes of my day! From there it only becomes more humbling - I access and interconnected global network of knowledge and information and communicate with 100s of people from all over the world, all of whom I've had the good fortune of getting to know in one way or another ... I have my family, I have my own version of good health, I have my own version of stable mental health, I have friends, I have birdsong and sunshine and trees and plants and all the other wonderful green things on this marvelous planet that produce the oxygen I need to breathe! When you're in a dark place, it can be hard to practice gratitude. But if you're reading this, whether you're in good times or bad, I urge you to adopt it into your daily routine - every morning, write down 3 things you are grateful for. Some days will be easier than others, but I'll start you off with a freebie - Nerdfighteria exists, and everyday we are working together to decrease world suck. And for that I will forever be grateful!
this is such an amazing way to look at the world, i've been using gratitude logs at night but i've been struggling to keep up with them! maybe i'll take a page out of your book and try them in the morning instead to start the day off positively, thanks for sharing this! :)
Thank you. This is me sitting in my empty classroom, scarfing my lunch and trying not to think about the absolute nightmares that are my students' lives (how can I expect them to care about my class when their family feels like it's falling apart), and I found this video. That last line made me want to cry. I think I want to share this whole video with all of my classes.
Very relatable video. My drive to graduate on time was fueled by toxic emotions, and while it was extremely (if terrifyingly) effective, I knew that once I got into a professional position, I would have to be fueled by love, or else the toxicity would eat me from the inside out. It will be spring again.
That line of "But spring is coming" reminds me of a Good Friday sermon I heard about. As it was told to me in another sermon, the preacher was preaching in the style of African-American Baptist and he had his refrain in his sermon, "Today is Friday, but Sunday's a comin'." By the end of his sermon, the congregation was jumping up and shouting back "but Sunday's a comin'" when ever he started the line. This would be classified as a much better performance compared to guy who preceded him who had preached in the much more calm and dreary "White Intellectual" style.
Echoing others who are saying this came at just the right time for me. I've been really struggling with finding the fuel to do my most important work. Instead of working I just continually punish myself for not working. I've never met you, likely never will, but I've been listening to and reading your words for over a decade now. You always know exactly what to say. Thank you, John.
thank you for this! Got me tearing up for real ;; also probably someone mentioned it already but what you said reminded me of BTS' song "Spring day" which I always listen to to remind myself that every winter will eventually pass
I always come back to this video when I start to feel insecure, jealous, trapped, hopeless, lost...etc. When I have something I want to do, but can't because my body is telling me it's pointless. Thank you for your wise words and for sharing your strength with so many people. I heard a quote recently that really moved me, it's "Empathy means you have strength so spare." I have days where I have strength to spare, and days where my cup feels empty. Today is a cup empty day. Thank you for filling it.
“Spring is coming.” Has been my mantra for the past two months as I’ve been dealing with a really deep depression. I put it on my wall so it would be the first thing I saw every morning before the dark thoughts could get in. I was taking a walk in early January feeling like I was already dead inside and I saw a tree and was just reminded that despite how dead that tree looks spring will come and it will be green again and bear fruit again and it gave me hope for the first time in months. “Spring is coming.” has kept me from some bad choices the past few months. I love that you ended this video with that beautiful and hopeful truth.
“when i write now i try not to think about what the story might mean for me but instead think with hope about what it might mean for others, and when i can do that, the pressure, the fear, just melt away.” - writing this down for future reference and posting it here for anyone else :) thanks john
I like the one book of yours I read. The Anthropocene reviewed was very good, moving and from the heart. Thank you John, keep doing what you are doing, it's a goodness.
These videos often feel like they are the only place I can come to and be okay with how I feel about.... everything. They might not be solving problems, but I feel understood more times than not. Thank you!
Thank you. I’ve followed you and Hank since I was a freshman in Highschool in 2009. Many times in my life, you have cut deep and true. I very rarely comment. I usually like to observe and cherish from a distance. I want you to know that you and your brother mean a great deal to me. Thank you for being an earnest light of beautiful and imperfect humanity in a world I sometime struggle with. I love you both and thank you both ❤️
Ughhh I'm about to rewatch this a few times while I wash my face and get ready for the day. It is a very busy week in my last semester of my undergrad degree, and my senior recital is also coming up in 2 weeks. My energy and my motivation are fading, and my stress and anxiety are growing, and I'm really trying to keep going. This morning has been a rough one.
Wow! That is so much to be navigating. The good news is: you are awesome, and capable, even when things are stressful and hard. I know you have the ability to keep going, and it is okay to take care of yourself during your final semester. Stay hydrated, rest when you need to, and remember that you have done semesters of undergrad before--so you absolutely can do it again. DFTBA!
The sentiment of "knowing there are other, worse problems doesn't diminish my own problems" can be summed up in a FANTASTIC song called "World's Smallest Violin" by AJR, also I woke up to horrible cramps this morning and I thought that I would die, but the Aleve kicked in and I've been able to go about my day; your Aleve will kick in eventually, I promise!
It's been a long while since I've dropped in on the bros. Great message. It reminds me of what some call the greatest work of literature: "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, if I have not love, there is no gain. Love is long-suffering, and it is kind. Love is void of envy; love does not vaunt itself, it is not puffed up. Love does not behave itself unseemly, it is not easily provoked, it never dwells on evil. Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but it rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, it covers all things, it is always trustworthy, it endures all things."
I’ve been a member of nerdfighteria for about six months now, and I’ve really appreciated and commented with many of the messages you and Hank have put out into the world, but this is the first one to make me cry. I really needed this right now, and this struck such a resonant chord with me, that I can’t understate how much this video means to me, in this moment. Thanks, John. I’ll see you next week
Thank you. I needed this. It's 7 a.m. on my 40th birthday im depressed, struggling with multiple addictions and was really not ay all looking forward with any sort of hope or optimism but this video has really given me a small warm happy moment that made me feel like maybe I can keep going. Thank you.
@@laurat981 thank you 🙂 it's now 3pm and honestly it's been a pretty meh day with no msgs or anything from friends or family but i've been ok and ok it's better than I usually am so to me that's a good day. 🙂
I find it super helpful to meditate on the weather/nature/my surroundings on good days, especially that first warmish day when the sun comes out and you realize spring is eventually going to be here. It helps to lock in a positive memory that our minds normally gloss over and helps me to remember what that feeling is like when I'm in the depths of winter again. It's something to look forward to and sets a goal for my mental wellness, to try to find ways to get closer to that level of comfort to just be and enjoy the little things in my day
The second you said “But spring is coming” the clouds in the sky in Copenhagen shifted and illuminated my whole living in warm sunshine. It was pretty magical.
My oldest child is hell bent on knowing what the meaning of life is, and I will tell her until my dying breath that it is love. Love is what connects us. ❤ Thank you for this message. For anyone reading this, it might feel like things will never change but it's one of the few guarantees in life, and if you can, let yourself fully revel in the joy when it comes. Let the bad things that have happened help amplify the good rather than detract from it because we cannot know what is good without experiencing what isn't.
As someone who is coming out of a long term relationship and who had no choice in this decision, trying to move forward with a focus on love and not resentment and anger is what I spent a lot of time and focus on right now. I keep thinking about Hope is the thing with feathers and this is another helpful reminder. Thank you.
Pouring out love for all those in comments who said they needed this video because they’re in a hard time right now. I’ve turned to Vlogbrothers for the past 12 years in hard times and spring always came. I hope you all have the love and support you need right now ❤️
Dear John, I love you. I love you, and Hank and I really love Crash course and The Anthropocene Reviewed. I would probably love more things you do, but my capacity to follow them is limited. You are a great inspiration for me. What I love most about your work is how constructive it is. Thank you for helping me in hard times.
Why did this make me cry so, so much? I just stayed up all night last night with the worst food poisoning in my life. I've never felt so at witts end ever. I barely got any sleep and I'm panicking on trying to find coverage for work for me tomorrow. But this video helped. It helped so much. Thank you John. Thank you for all that you do.
Winter is long especially when you have a newborn and a toddler and you live in Minnesota. Love is the only thing that gets you through. Well, love and oreos. Lots and lots of oreos Thank you for your message.🌷
Thank you for this, John. I really needed a pick me up. I’ve been job hunting for several months now, and all I’ve been getting is rejection after rejection. It’s been so demoralizing. Your spring metaphor reminded me a lot of BTS’s song Spring Day. Have a listen sometime if you need a boost 💜
I am reminded of that Heinrich Heine poem, which starts: Herz, mein Herz, sei nicht beklommen, Und ertrage dein Geschick, Neuer Frühling gibt zurück, Was der Winter dir genommen. Which has many translations, but here's the one I like: Heart, my heart. Do not be anxious and bear the burden of your fate*. Spring will give back what Winter has taken away. *Said, I feel, in a tone of: "because I believe you are capable."
This made me unexpectedly emotional. The idea of things seeming like they’re never going to change when you’re in the midst of them really hits home for me, because I struggle with that a lot. I got tears in my eyes when you talked about the spring coming, so thank you for that reminder that things will eventually get better.
Thanks for sharing this, it's what I needed to hear today. I'm a nontraditional student in the last month of my degree, and it's been rough to put it simply. Spite has been my fuel for much too long, and it's time to reframe some things.❤️
I gotta say, I have been feeling particularly depressed about a lot of things in my life going wrong at the same time and it is really difficult for me right now. I watch Vlogbrothers when I have time and when I'm in a bad place mentally, John and Hank really help me not to stress out as much. The Nerdfighter community is also one of the most supportive groups on the internet so many thanks to you guys and I hope you're all doing well!
I needed this today. Recently I was forced to resign from my job due to chronic illness. And I've been feeling like a failure after this major setback. Thank you for always knowing what to say. And for reminding me that spring is coming. 🌷
When I think of John Green (and I think of the Green brothers often), I always think of the word "Earnest". No one does earnest quite as well as John, and there are few people in the world that can make me feel like "everything is going to be ok" quite like John Green can. Thank you for that.
I've been burning fluctuating amounts of hopeful, feathery love for creation---both the act of and the surrounded by---and this video refilled the candle, which is no longer burning at both ends. It gives a lovely light.
oh hi. We are soft-launching a new thing today: awesomecoffeeclub.com
It's a subscription service for coffee. We deliver great coffee to you every month, and 100% of profits go to support stronger healthcare systems in impoverished communities. The coffee is sourced directly from small farmers' collectives in Colombia, with a focus on 1. paying a premium to farmers to increase pay, and 2. supporting communities that are actively working to eliminate deforestation. It's awesome coffee you can feel good about. -John
Already got mine🧡
Maybe this subscription will convince my parents to stop using nespresso! I hate all those little capsules wasted.
this is so exciting! i'm just now getting into coffee and this seems like a perfect match for my new hobby :)
I wish there was decaf. (My brain doesn’t let me have so much caffeine). But I completely understand not having it available in the beginning especially.
I just started exploring coffee as a hobby... Seems like you guys somehow know exactly when to feed my curiosities
I try to remind myself of a similar quote by Albert Camus whenever I'm struggling in life. "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer." John, you may have just shown me that love is the key to unlocking that invincible summer within oneself. Food for thought!🖖🖖
Albert Camus had a book published called Myth of Sisyphus during the German occupation of France.
Great quote! from “Retour a Tipasa” if anyone wants to read it :)
@@djoakeydoakey1076 it's true and I feel like it's important to add that The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus is a (philosophical) essay on suicide and absurdity, and I haven't finished it just yet, but there are many details in it which are helping me while I'm struggling
I also want to point out that I have almost no philosophical notions, so if anyone wants to give it a try, don't hesitate to, I don't think you need to know much about philosophy (just keep your favorite search engine nearby but no need for in depth research) to be able to give it a try
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“Spring is coming” gave me “feathers everywhere” feelings. This has brought me so much hope for the spring that is on its way, whenever it gets here.
I love that - "feathers everywhere" - what a beautiful idea.
Me too, it reminded me of the "light soaked days are coming" quote from last year around P4A time.
@@kryxena where is that from
Fall, Winter and Spring all kind of blend together for me. There are only two seasons: summer and wet.
Spring is coming reminds me of a similar line from Hadestown: “On a sunny day there was a railroad car, and a lady stepping off the train. Everybody looked and everybody saw, that spring had come again. “
"Love is the fuel that burns both bright and clean" Damn. This line deserves to exist in more places than just the 2:35 mark of this video.
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it's in iambic pentameter too...
John, I cannot describe HOW MUCH I NEEDED to hear this, I'm writing this in tears for I'm a high school senior that has been burnt out and have beaten up for quite a while now ..and hopelessness drenched me and I've been wet from it ever since... I really want turn it around but I found myself failing at that too.
Thank you John, thank you, for reminding me that as Emily Dickinson puts it " My now is not my forever" ...
“Hopelessness drenched me and I’ve been wet from it ever since” is such a beautiful phrase.
@@catherinecase1142 thank you for your kind words.. ☺
As someone who felt the same way exactly 2 years ago, it makes me really sad to see that you and so many others are struggling like this. Please consider taking a gap year before you move on to your next phase of life-whatever it may be. It was difficult to pull myself out of burnout, but time is the greatest healer. Would highly recommend Unjaded Jade's vlogs of her gap year if you're interested. I'm feeling and doing much better as a current college freshman, and I believe in you :)
@@madamemotarey wow, I've never thought of this before! , thank you internet stranger, to whom i owe multitudes of the thank yous to!
@@anushreenarayanan2962 Aww of course! Glad I could help! If you have any questions at all just lmk and I'd be happy to answer :)
I worry a lot that if I publish a book, as a TH-camr, people will only think it sold because I have an audience, so your "I want to prove to the world that I *am* a good writer" really hits home, but I really do need to work on writing less out of that spite and more out of my love. Cheers John 🌻
I'll read that book! -John
@@vlogbrothers 📖♥️
Who cares if _"people will only think it sold because you had an audience."_ Heck, who cares if that is even true?
Use the advantages that you're given. _All of them._ It's hard enough to get published _with_ a TH-cam following.
The DaVinci Code sold twice the amount of books as To Kill a Mockingbird. Please use that fact to try to convince me that better written books sell more copies...
You already have two books out there that people find great. Do people say that they only do well because of your audience? If not what would switching genres have to do with it?
Hi Tim! You're a good TH-camr ~because~ you're a good writer. That came first, and no one can take that away. I've learned so much from you, and you have absolutely nothing to prove.
If that didn't help, this might cheer you up: I love your episodes about writing, but I've never seen Avatar: the Last Airbender, so a fair bit went over my head. (I actually watched your three hour movie rant and still learned something about writing). Recently, I decided it was time to take the plunge so I could get more from your videos. Thanks to you, I just started Book 3, and I'm loving it!
I’m a minute in and I’m crying. This pep talk really is what I needed today and I am incredibly thankful for it.
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Same
"In the depths of winter, you feel like it will never be spring." Yup, that got me. John's ability to put into words the amorphous feelings that haunt my mind reminds me of a quote from George Orwell's 1984: "The best books, he perceived, are those that tell you what you know already."
mood
After almost two years of being stuck unable to do almost anything, due to some sort of medical problem doctors can't figure out, it's really hard to believe spring will ever come. But despite the doctors failing me, I've at least found ways to adapt and slowly heal, and it's starting to feel like things will eventually be okay.
My partner and I recently had a discussion about our core values, and I realized that what really pushes me through and what I feel defines how I lead my life is Love. Love for the people around me, both family and strangers alike, love for the things I do and learn, love for the earth and the sky and every blade of grass and pencil shred there is. I have fallen in love with the world and am overjoyed to spend my time in it. Thank you, John (and Hank!) for helping me to realize this love as well as continue to develop it - I am in your debt, and I love you.
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Critics: Kids and teenagers don’t think or talk as complexly as they do in John Green’s books.
Alice: Hold my sippy cup.
So true.
John, you'll probably never know how many people needed this today, and how many will need it in the future when winter comes again. Thank you.
I know I was scrolling through the comments and so many people said “I needed this today” including me. It’s amazing how many people he just helped
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Can we just talk about how the Brothers Green are a frickin' national treasure and must be protected at all costs?
Absolutely!
i guess i'll join the chorus of people who are both, time and time again, surprised and thankful for your words in these times. I teach at a local institute for remedial learning and tutoring, and my colleagues and i are worried about a lot of our kids. In fact i've just come home from class, wondering how in all that is good these children will grow up, what their world will look like, how i can help them not succumb to a seemingly unending winter.
And you are right. With compassion. With kindness. With love. The fuel that burns both bright and clean.
It reminds me of P.L.Dunbars poem "The Lesson", from 1913, which closes:
So I sang a lay for a brother's ear
In a strain to soothe his bleeding heart,
And he smiled at the sound of my voice and lyre,
Though mine was a feeble art.
But at his smile I smiled in turn,
And into my soul there came a ray:
In trying to soothe another's woes
Mine own had passed away.
Your video has, once again, made me smile and soothed my woes. I hope yours may also have passed a little. I wish you all the best.
This video is so timely for me. I'm in the process of a very demotivating and demoralizing period in my life. I have been using the wrong fuels for so many things for so long and it's completely burned me out and I'm struggling to build up different fuel to go off of.
Solidarity and best wishes for getting through this time in your life ♥️
Yes, good luck! Wishing the best for you.
I hear this. It’s hard to realize what fuel I’ve been using, often subconsciously (shame, much?), and even when I can recognize and acknowledge that it’s not effective or healthy for me, trying to figure out how to switch my default fuel to something else is tough.
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Hope you’re doing better now!
If hope is the thing with feathers, then love is the thing with wings.
Someone else said that, I’m sure. Was it John? I can’t remember. But it is nonetheless a true thing.
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I believe John used the quote as he reflected on Donald Trump's election.
'Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tiny song of love and never stops at all.'
The past months I've been in deep with depression & anxiety, clinging to any passages, songs, or videos that help get me through the day.
The final few seconds of this video sparked a hope in me that I haven't truly believed in for a long time. Thank you John
Me too. Just wanted you to know that for this moment, you're not alone.
This is so timely. I live in Texas and *just* yesterday I was thinking how every winter I forget what it’s like to feel hot. I’m not motivated so much by resentment, but fear is a big one for me. And you’re right, it never goes away no matter how hard I work. Thank you so much for this perspective on the issue.❤️
C:
it's great to see you here! Hope you're well, from a fan
@@The_SOB_II Hi Steve, thank you!
I store up “ I’m too hot. “. For the times I’m too cold. N.E.OH Bob
I know your videos resonate with a lot of people, as they should. But as someone struggling with survivor syndrome while my country is being destroyed, and being fuelled by both anger and love at the same time, this feels very personal. "Surviving and turning around the bad times together" is a perfect summary of what we Ukrainians are going through. Thank you, John.
💙💛💙💛💙💛 Maryna, i'm glad you're safe. Your fellow Ukrainians fighting for your country are also glad you're safe. You are the future of Ukraine for which they are fighting. I'm so sorry you're going through this, and that your country is going through this. -John
My mental health has been the worst it’s been in a long time for the past week. Just a numb kind of existence that makes it hard to do anything.
What’s helped me is recently, on TikTok, you asked everyone to go on a walk with you. I dueted you and went on the walk that first day and now have watched that same video every day to do one thing, go on a stupid daily walk. It isn’t life changing or healing but it means I get one thing done a day. Thank for walking with me John.
I'm so glad you're doing that one thing for yourself with an assist from John. It is so hard to do the work of being kind and caring for ourselves when our mental health goes wonky, which is frustrating, given that those are the moments when we need it most.
So here's a little extra kindness for you today: Thank you for continuing. Thank you for going on walks. Thank you for putting food in your body and hydrating. I'm really proud of you for doing that for yourself, and for continuing even when it's hard. Keep going, and know that I'm cheering for you every step of the way. You have the strength you need to get through this. DFTBA!
@@untappedinkwell thank you!❤️❤️❤️ you’re the best! Yesterday was a amazing day. The sun came out for the first time in weeks, I cleaned my room for the first time in a while, I got to see friends and eat good food! It was finally a good day
@@moiradarling97 Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!!! I am *so* glad you had a good day and thank you so much for sharing it with me! That sounds so fantastic, especially the good food and the time with friends. AND you have a clean room now!! Way to go!!! I hope your next good day comes soon.
I love seeing organic conversations from Dear Hank & John become polished stories in videos, projects, even books eventually. It's a nice process to see and demonstrates your motivation idea. Compassion for a question asker coupled with love of a brother and a few tangents.
I was literally telling my therapist yesterday that I am having to learn the difference between an unknown ending and unending. Hard times may have an unknown ending-- but they are not unending.
Thank you for reminding me that our winters won't last forever. I am bedbound by chronic illness and for the past two years, due the pandemic and a weakened immune system, I have been cut off from my friends and family. I miss them and my community so much but being part of the Nerdfighter community brings me solace.
Wishing you good health and better times ahead! ♡♡
@@ladybug2267 Thank you for your kind wishes, I wish you well too
John you made me both smile and cry in a video three and a half minutes long and I'm sure I'm not alone in the experience. Thank you for this earnest and hopeful pep-talk that I know I'll revisit so many more times in the future when it feels like winter and it'd make me feel the same way, always: that I'm seen and understood.
I’m the guy who posted on your March 1st video about my wife having just died of cancer less than 12 hours before watching that video (hanging in there, by the way), and I loved this line from today’s video:
“Love is not forged not only in the good times; it is also forged in surviving and turning around the bad times together.”
That really speaks to me right now. Many of us affected by my wife’s passing have seen love in the tremendous outpouring of support from not only one another but from complete strangers. I love especially that the strangers have no reason to feel an attachment to my family. They just have an attachment to the idea of community, an idea that when one of us is suffering, we are all suffering. Hang in there, everyone. Whatever you are going through, I am over here rooting for you, though we may never meet. I care about you.
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Thank you. Hang in there too
John, I am from Pakistan. I want you to know that your message has been heard thousands of miles away!
My channel started (Mostly) because I was dumped a few months previous by a woman I loved more than 19 year old me was prepaired to love another person. I wanted to prove that I was worthy and thought if I got successful she'd think it was a mistake and reconsider. The resentment made me brave enough to put my face on camera
Today we are great friends and my relationships are much healthier, for having a better, less external validation driven view of success and love.
I relate really hard to video. When making videos these days I try to think about the people who will comment that they learned something new - Occasionally a teacher says they showed it to they're students for class, and how much I myself like learning in the research process.
Thank you
Came here only expecting a coffee announcement, was pleasantly surprised. Thanks for your loving words, John
Saving the coffee announcement for when we properly launch in a few weeks! :) -John
God, I needed this, been worried about college entrances and future career choices. I find your books and videos very comforting amidst all this confusion :)
I wish you the best luck with that! -from a fellow high school senior who's going through Precisely the same thing...
I remember being in the exact same shoes as you guys an year ago..
Keep working guys, and trust me, spring is closer than you think :D
Remember that, like a squirrel in the middle of a road thinking about changing Daylight Savings Time, the correct decision is any decision.
As someone who was also in this place last year with the pandemic making everything worse, I know it's hard but I assure you that spring WILL come. Good luck y'all!
My life is in shambles, really.
This video is much needed. Thank you John. I love, no I adore the things you say. I love your podcast and it helps a lot.
Respect from Algeria ✨🎩
may your next spring be as joyful as this winter has been dark. Best wishes!
@@untappedinkwell Thank you very much, I really appreciate that ❤️❤️❤️
@@supernova3114 It's my honor.
Yes LOVE! Bring on the cheese, man, because I'm here for it. I've been very grateful for this community over the past few years because it makes me feel less isolated, but also because everyone here is kind and loving. I love all y'all and hope that your metaphorical spring comes sooner than you think.
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Hey John, just wanted to say thank you for helping me get through high school.
That was 10 years ago. Today, I’m in my final semester of my masters and I’m so comforted to have these videos in all the hard times since.
Way to go!! That's so amazing!
Thank you for this. My dad unexpectedly passed in early November and the holidays/winter has been very hard for me. This grief has been disorienting and the love and patience you talk about is what has gotten me through. It is so important to remember that the seasons will continue to change and that I am not alone in feeling such heavy things. Thank you as always for this community and putting into words what I cannot.
In nerdfighteria, we have a saying when a loved one passes away. If I may: May you dad Rest in Awesome. I am so glad our community has helped in such a difficult time, and I hope you get to carry that into spring. Best wishes.
I'm sorry, JenBo. You are most certainly not alone in feeling this way. I also lost my father unexpectedly a few months ago. It just sucks. *Hugs*
one of my very favorite quotes from Vincent Van Gogh is about this. I love too how he writes that "...even without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frost," seasons change and so do we, and we can get through this with time and patience and love
that's such a beautiful quote, thank you for sharing!!❤️
I agree that knowing others have worse troubles does not really help with my own, but reading these comments reminds me that, whilst we are apart in our troubles, we are all together in having to battle them and there's something comforting in that.
John this was the perfect video for the perfect day. I had a breakdown in my car after work (I'm a HS counselor that's doing both my job and the MS counselor's job until the new one starts in a month). I really needed this video today. I also hope you got a hug at the end of that video because you sounded like you were getting choked up. It's okay, John! We'll get through it.
Hard work. Thanks for doing it. -John
Somehow the most comforting part of this was John stating that he has no idea what kind of problems I'm dealing with, except that they're real. I think maybe I just needed the blunt honesty. And actually, it's nice that we can not know together, because I really don't understand a lot of what I'm dealing with right now. Not knowing together may not actually be super productive, but it's strangely encouraging and validating.
"The way things are is simply not the way they will always be" taking this as reassurance that the Awesome Coffee Club will ship internationally in the future 😭🙏
On a sunny day, there was a railroad car
And a lady steppin’ off a train
Everybody looked and everybody saw
That spring had come again
With a love song
It's a sad song, but we sing it anyway.
DFTBA
I was looking for a Hadestown comment! Glad I found it! :)
I have recently found myself surrounded with despair and worry around my personal life. Listening to this gave me faith that perhaps not all is as bad as it seems, that faith is not actually fruitless despite how meager the future may seem. I could really use a hug right now. But this helped.
Thank you for this. I just had to say goodbye to my 10 year old velocikeet yesterday. Had her 9 years. At first she was fearful and traumatized from previous owner, then tolerant of me at best, to one year of her deciding I was awesome and she couldn't wait for me to hang with her. She had abdominal swelling that was making it harder and harder for her to breathe, and I knew it was time. She was a smart, feisty little force of nature, and I am missing her terribly. I try to remind myself of the saying "where there is great grief, there is great love".
I love these short videos, both you and Hank pack so much into them.
Dealt with a pretty bad panic attack last weekend and hearing that Spring is coming moved me so deeply. Thank you so much for this.
Last night, I rewatched old videos on this channel for a pep talk.
Even though my favorite pep talk was you talking about distractions and how you find solutions in moments of silence, this pep talk might beat that one.
Thank you for this video John. My friend passed away last night and it’s been a rough morning sorting through the grief. This helped to lift my spirits 💕 rest peacefully Annette
I really really needed this today- my dad is dying of terminal cancer and it feels like it’s going to be winter forever and I’ll never be happy again. This video was like handwarmers in my pockets, it doesn’t change the cold around me but it has helped make it a little bit easier to deal with.
Sometimes, all times are bad times. I’ve needed this for a while, thank you.
spring is coming, you may be pretty sure about that. for the darker times being, give the world - including yourself - the love it deserves, because it has given you so much already. and it will continue doing so for much more time, if we're lucky
I have been through some metaphorical winters that emerged into metaphorical springs and so now whenever I find myself in winter I tell myself that even though the cold is all I can think about I have experienced spring coming when I though it never would before. It makes the dark times a little easier to endure.
Your story of being fueled by anger and fear reminds me a lot of Prince Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. We see him change the reasons for his firebending from anger and fear, and it makes him not only a better person, but also a better firebender. You are an inspiration John! Keep up the great work!
In my experience, love feeds a soul more than anything else can. So nerdfighteria, today's self care tip is this: feed your soul. How you do that is up to you, but odds are good it will include some form of love. Love of friends, family, self, ocean, nature, pets, fellow humans, community, activities, sports--whatever fills you with that spark, spend a little bit of time with it.
And if you don't know what that is, or if it's been a long time since you felt that spark, that's okay. It might mean that you need to rest or take a break so that that spark can find its way to you. It's there. Like the spring, it will return in time.
And while I put love into everything I do here, if you didn't know: I love you nerdfighteria. DFTBA!
Through the long winter I just kept thinking of those lyrics from Hadestown ‘Spring will come again’. I am here at the brink of spring. And the truth is as evident in the world as it is in this beautiful video. Thank you for the years of giving voice to emotions.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed john tearing up at the end of the video!? Thanks John, i was so pent up to shed some tears and you helped me up, Thank you so much
Thanks for this today John. It certainly has been a long winter. I'm thankful for the coming spring, and for both of you. DFTBA.
I had a really, really bad day today that was full of fear and anger and heartache, and then finally sleep. Everything you just said cut right into my core and made me so grateful to live in a world where people are able to express their thoughts in a succinct and thoughtful enough way to impact others for the better.
I've said before in difficult times that things were turning black around the edges, and lately that darkness is ebbing more quickly into every aspect of my life. Through that, however, there are still things that shine and bring peace, and this is one of them.
Thank you. Thank you.
Hey John -
When I was younger (probably around the same age you were, writing your first novel!), I too let fear and resentment and, yes, righteous indignation burn as my fuel too. And as you noted, it worked ... but it also left me with one hell of a mess.
I got into therapy (and received my diagnoses) some years later and what you call 'Love' in this video I envision as 'Gratitude' instead. Not least of all because "Attitude of Gratitude" rhymes and it helps it to stick in my brain.
But of the many (many, many!) lessons I learned in my years of therapy, embracing gratitude as a mindset came easiest to me: the idea that I am owed and entitled to nothing, and ought to remind myself of that regularly, so that I look at the world through grateful eyes. Every morning I wake up in a comfortable bed, inside a climate-controlled home, then walk downstairs (under my own power!) to access readily-available food and clean water, and that's the first 10 minutes of my day! From there it only becomes more humbling - I access and interconnected global network of knowledge and information and communicate with 100s of people from all over the world, all of whom I've had the good fortune of getting to know in one way or another ... I have my family, I have my own version of good health, I have my own version of stable mental health, I have friends, I have birdsong and sunshine and trees and plants and all the other wonderful green things on this marvelous planet that produce the oxygen I need to breathe!
When you're in a dark place, it can be hard to practice gratitude. But if you're reading this, whether you're in good times or bad, I urge you to adopt it into your daily routine - every morning, write down 3 things you are grateful for. Some days will be easier than others, but I'll start you off with a freebie - Nerdfighteria exists, and everyday we are working together to decrease world suck. And for that I will forever be grateful!
this is such an amazing way to look at the world, i've been using gratitude logs at night but i've been struggling to keep up with them! maybe i'll take a page out of your book and try them in the morning instead to start the day off positively, thanks for sharing this! :)
Thank you.
This is me sitting in my empty classroom, scarfing my lunch and trying not to think about the absolute nightmares that are my students' lives (how can I expect them to care about my class when their family feels like it's falling apart), and I found this video. That last line made me want to cry.
I think I want to share this whole video with all of my classes.
This reminds me of that Mountain Goats lyric "but the things we do for love are gonna come back to you one by one"
Very relatable video. My drive to graduate on time was fueled by toxic emotions, and while it was extremely (if terrifyingly) effective, I knew that once I got into a professional position, I would have to be fueled by love, or else the toxicity would eat me from the inside out.
It will be spring again.
Thank you John, I'm in hard times right now and this is exactly what i needed.
That line of "But spring is coming" reminds me of a Good Friday sermon I heard about. As it was told to me in another sermon, the preacher was preaching in the style of African-American Baptist and he had his refrain in his sermon, "Today is Friday, but Sunday's a comin'." By the end of his sermon, the congregation was jumping up and shouting back "but Sunday's a comin'" when ever he started the line. This would be classified as a much better performance compared to guy who preceded him who had preached in the much more calm and dreary "White Intellectual" style.
I love this! I'm such a sucker for Good Friday services--the good ones exude a hope we'd ought to embrace all year
Winter is coming.
white intellectual style 💀
Echoing others who are saying this came at just the right time for me. I've been really struggling with finding the fuel to do my most important work. Instead of working I just continually punish myself for not working. I've never met you, likely never will, but I've been listening to and reading your words for over a decade now. You always know exactly what to say. Thank you, John.
It's crazy that sometimes you stubble across something that you really need to hear, and you are at that moment also open to hearing it. Thank you.
thank you for this! Got me tearing up for real ;; also probably someone mentioned it already but what you said reminded me of BTS' song "Spring day" which I always listen to to remind myself that every winter will eventually pass
I always come back to this video when I start to feel insecure, jealous, trapped, hopeless, lost...etc. When I have something I want to do, but can't because my body is telling me it's pointless.
Thank you for your wise words and for sharing your strength with so many people. I heard a quote recently that really moved me, it's "Empathy means you have strength so spare." I have days where I have strength to spare, and days where my cup feels empty. Today is a cup empty day. Thank you for filling it.
Rage and resentment can start the fire, but love keeps it glowing.
P.S. I don't know when you recorded this, but it's now spring! Celebrate, Alice!
I've heard parts of this talk in past videos of yours, but it's still good hearing it again.
Stop being so nice and sincere when I'm at work. It's not socially acceptable to cry in an office!
Hank brother thanks i love you guys
“Spring is coming.” Has been my mantra for the past two months as I’ve been dealing with a really deep depression. I put it on my wall so it would be the first thing I saw every morning before the dark thoughts could get in. I was taking a walk in early January feeling like I was already dead inside and I saw a tree and was just reminded that despite how dead that tree looks spring will come and it will be green again and bear fruit again and it gave me hope for the first time in months. “Spring is coming.” has kept me from some bad choices the past few months. I love that you ended this video with that beautiful and hopeful truth.
It really has been winter for a long time. But I've seen glimpses of spring, and those keep me going. Thank you, John. I really needed to hear this 🌻
this is very needed after getting rejected by your alma mater Kenyon yesterday, good things are coming
“when i write now i try not to think about what the story might mean for me but instead think with hope about what it might mean for others, and when i can do that, the pressure, the fear, just melt away.” - writing this down for future reference and posting it here for anyone else :) thanks john
I like the one book of yours I read. The Anthropocene reviewed was very good, moving and from the heart.
Thank you John, keep doing what you are doing, it's a goodness.
These videos often feel like they are the only place I can come to and be okay with how I feel about.... everything. They might not be solving problems, but I feel understood more times than not. Thank you!
Thank you. I’ve followed you and Hank since I was a freshman in Highschool in 2009. Many times in my life, you have cut deep and true. I very rarely comment. I usually like to observe and cherish from a distance. I want you to know that you and your brother mean a great deal to me. Thank you for being an earnest light of beautiful and imperfect humanity in a world I sometime struggle with. I love you both and thank you both ❤️
Ughhh I'm about to rewatch this a few times while I wash my face and get ready for the day. It is a very busy week in my last semester of my undergrad degree, and my senior recital is also coming up in 2 weeks. My energy and my motivation are fading, and my stress and anxiety are growing, and I'm really trying to keep going. This morning has been a rough one.
Wow! That is so much to be navigating. The good news is: you are awesome, and capable, even when things are stressful and hard. I know you have the ability to keep going, and it is okay to take care of yourself during your final semester. Stay hydrated, rest when you need to, and remember that you have done semesters of undergrad before--so you absolutely can do it again. DFTBA!
@@untappedinkwell thank you for your kindness, it’s been really overwhelming and your comment means a lot
@@autumnbrookesings It's my honor. You've got this!
I feel like after a certain age you don’t really get pep talks anymore… I didn’t realize how much I needed one, thanks John 🖤
The sentiment of "knowing there are other, worse problems doesn't diminish my own problems" can be summed up in a FANTASTIC song called "World's Smallest Violin" by AJR, also I woke up to horrible cramps this morning and I thought that I would die, but the Aleve kicked in and I've been able to go about my day; your Aleve will kick in eventually, I promise!
I have the last midterm of my degree in half an hour. Just remembering that spring is coming is a great help
"Love is...forged in surviving and turning around the bad times together. ❤ " 😭
It's been a long while since I've dropped in on the bros. Great message. It reminds me of what some call the greatest work of literature:
"Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, if I have not love, there is no gain. Love is long-suffering, and it is kind. Love is void of envy; love does not vaunt itself, it is not puffed up. Love does not behave itself unseemly, it is not easily provoked, it never dwells on evil. Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but it rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, it covers all things, it is always trustworthy, it endures all things."
I’ve been a member of nerdfighteria for about six months now, and I’ve really appreciated and commented with many of the messages you and Hank have put out into the world, but this is the first one to make me cry. I really needed this right now, and this struck such a resonant chord with me, that I can’t understate how much this video means to me, in this moment. Thanks, John. I’ll see you next week
I am so glad you found nerdfighteria. Thank you for being here with us. DFTBA!
Thank you. I needed this. It's 7 a.m. on my 40th birthday im depressed, struggling with multiple addictions and was really not ay all looking forward with any sort of hope or optimism but this video has really given me a small warm happy moment that made me feel like maybe I can keep going. Thank you.
I hope you had an amazing birthday, there are so many more small and warm happy moments to come, and spring is definitely coming - you got this!!❤️
@@laurat981 thank you 🙂 it's now 3pm and honestly it's been a pretty meh day with no msgs or anything from friends or family but i've been ok and ok it's better than I usually am so to me that's a good day. 🙂
I find it super helpful to meditate on the weather/nature/my surroundings on good days, especially that first warmish day when the sun comes out and you realize spring is eventually going to be here. It helps to lock in a positive memory that our minds normally gloss over and helps me to remember what that feeling is like when I'm in the depths of winter again. It's something to look forward to and sets a goal for my mental wellness, to try to find ways to get closer to that level of comfort to just be and enjoy the little things in my day
The second you said “But spring is coming” the clouds in the sky in Copenhagen shifted and illuminated my whole living in warm sunshine. It was pretty magical.
I have an interview that I have to conduct today. I was really really nervous, but this helped me calm down. Thanks John!
My oldest child is hell bent on knowing what the meaning of life is, and I will tell her until my dying breath that it is love. Love is what connects us. ❤ Thank you for this message. For anyone reading this, it might feel like things will never change but it's one of the few guarantees in life, and if you can, let yourself fully revel in the joy when it comes. Let the bad things that have happened help amplify the good rather than detract from it because we cannot know what is good without experiencing what isn't.
As someone who is coming out of a long term relationship and who had no choice in this decision, trying to move forward with a focus on love and not resentment and anger is what I spent a lot of time and focus on right now. I keep thinking about Hope is the thing with feathers and this is another helpful reminder. Thank you.
I knew when I saw the 3:33 time length this was gunna be a goodie. Thanks for the pep talk 🥺
Pouring out love for all those in comments who said they needed this video because they’re in a hard time right now. I’ve turned to Vlogbrothers for the past 12 years in hard times and spring always came. I hope you all have the love and support you need right now ❤️
Dear John, I love you. I love you, and Hank and I really love Crash course and The Anthropocene Reviewed. I would probably love more things you do, but my capacity to follow them is limited. You are a great inspiration for me. What I love most about your work is how constructive it is. Thank you for helping me in hard times.
Why did this make me cry so, so much? I just stayed up all night last night with the worst food poisoning in my life. I've never felt so at witts end ever. I barely got any sleep and I'm panicking on trying to find coverage for work for me tomorrow. But this video helped. It helped so much. Thank you John. Thank you for all that you do.
Winter is long especially when you have a newborn and a toddler and you live in Minnesota. Love is the only thing that gets you through. Well, love and oreos. Lots and lots of oreos Thank you for your message.🌷
Thank you for this, John. I really needed a pick me up. I’ve been job hunting for several months now, and all I’ve been getting is rejection after rejection. It’s been so demoralizing. Your spring metaphor reminded me a lot of BTS’s song Spring Day. Have a listen sometime if you need a boost 💜
I am reminded of that Heinrich Heine poem, which starts:
Herz, mein Herz, sei nicht beklommen,
Und ertrage dein Geschick,
Neuer Frühling gibt zurück,
Was der Winter dir genommen.
Which has many translations, but here's the one I like:
Heart, my heart.
Do not be anxious and bear the burden of your fate*.
Spring will give back what Winter has taken away.
*Said, I feel, in a tone of: "because I believe you are capable."
This made me unexpectedly emotional. The idea of things seeming like they’re never going to change when you’re in the midst of them really hits home for me, because I struggle with that a lot. I got tears in my eyes when you talked about the spring coming, so thank you for that reminder that things will eventually get better.
Thanks for sharing this, it's what I needed to hear today. I'm a nontraditional student in the last month of my degree, and it's been rough to put it simply. Spite has been my fuel for much too long, and it's time to reframe some things.❤️
I gotta say, I have been feeling particularly depressed about a lot of things in my life going wrong at the same time and it is really difficult for me right now. I watch Vlogbrothers when I have time and when I'm in a bad place mentally, John and Hank really help me not to stress out as much. The Nerdfighter community is also one of the most supportive groups on the internet so many thanks to you guys and I hope you're all doing well!
I needed this today. Recently I was forced to resign from my job due to chronic illness. And I've been feeling like a failure after this major setback.
Thank you for always knowing what to say. And for reminding me that spring is coming. 🌷
When I think of John Green (and I think of the Green brothers often), I always think of the word "Earnest". No one does earnest quite as well as John, and there are few people in the world that can make me feel like "everything is going to be ok" quite like John Green can. Thank you for that.
I've been burning fluctuating amounts of hopeful, feathery love for creation---both the act of and the surrounded by---and this video refilled the candle, which is no longer burning at both ends. It gives a lovely light.
I lost my dad a few weeks ago and what your daughter said about winter is so true and I needed to hear it.