Some lessons return to us again and again. Boundaries. Self worth. How to love without losing ourselves. How to receive. Maybe growth isn’t leaving these lessons behind, but meeting them differently each time.
Tag: boundaries
Femininity isn’t Passive
Femininity is often mistaken for passivity. They're not the same thing. Passivity accepts whatever is placed in front of it. It tolerates poor treatment. It stays quiet to avoid conflict. It believes love is something to be earned through self-sacrifice. I've made this error in my own thinking and have given so much of myself… Continue reading Femininity isn’t Passive
What the Mud Grows
What type of growth is happening when nothing appears to be changing? It doesn’t surprise me that my life feels slower and calmer now, and that that slow and calm has sometimes been confused with a state of not moving. They say calm after the chaos can feel boring. I think there is truth to… Continue reading What the Mud Grows
You Should Have Planned Better
I was one class away from finishing my master's degree when I asked my dad for help paying for it. He said no. Looking back, I wonder if that moment became the foundation of my hypervigilance; the belief that if I planned well enough, carried enough, and anticipated every possibility, I would never have to ask for help again.
Halley: The Re-Direction
The car was silent. The only sound was the tick-tick-tick of the engine cooling in the school parking lot. It’s just armor, and it looks heavy. Paige’s words weren't an echo. They were truth. Halley didn't drive home. Not right away. She drove to Mira's. It was an instinct. A pull, a "force" that had… Continue reading Halley: The Re-Direction
Chapter Fifty-Five: The Question and the Weight
This is Mira’s story — part fiction, part reflection, wholly honest.(Each chapter will end with a note from her writing, signed as your trusted friend.) 🎧 Listen while you read: “Unfold” by Alina BarazFor emotional clarity, quiet tension, and deep love that's learning not to rescue. https://open.spotify.com/track/1cSpPl4FhWtft5fUTqRr8f?si=30b312a107af4864 Mira's Story: The Question and the WeightWhere growing pains meet… Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Five: The Question and the Weight
Exactly Where I Should Be
Confessions of a Late Bloomer Part 14 I used to imagine my future with a kind of cinematic precision. I’d be settled by now.A partner. A house. A shared Sunday morning routine.Some combination of arms to fall into, and someone who always remembers to pick up milk. But instead, I’m 46. Almost 47. A solo… Continue reading Exactly Where I Should Be
Joy, After All
Confessions of a Late Bloomer Part 13 I used to think joy was something reserved for special occasions.A vacation. A celebration. A permission slip. Or maybe something I had to earn, once the work was done, the bills paid, the responsibilities checked off. I thought love had to be proven.That joy had to be justified.That… Continue reading Joy, After All
Permission to Leave
Confessions of a Late Bloomer Part 9 I remember being on a date once.A bad one. The man had introduced himself as a comedian,and I kept waiting for him to get funny.Instead, he complained. A lot. He told me about the city he used to live in,how his old stand-up crew would stay out late… Continue reading Permission to Leave
On Almost
Confessions of a Late Bloomer Part 8 I have spent years falling for almost.The almost-love.The almost-available.The almost-ready.The almost-promises whispered late at night, wrapped in just enough sweetness to make me hope. I listened to sugar-coated words and called them sincerity.I ignored red flags and called them "growth edges."I mistook affection for intention. But almost never… Continue reading On Almost