Stories
Stories about the things we carry, the words we swallow, and the parts of ourselves we sometimes forget while taking care of everything else.
The Strong One
Eighteen connected stories about being the person everyone relies on — and what happens when you begin making room for yourself too. A new story arrives every Friday.
Start with Story One →I Became Everyone's Safe Place and Forgot I Needed One Too
Being available to everyone is not the same as being held by someone.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 02 of 18The Person Behind My Automatic “I'm Fine”
Some people fall apart loudly. I learned to fall apart politely.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 03 of 18The Sentence I Could Say for Everyone Except Myself
I could tell anyone else it was okay to need help. I just could not say it about myself.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 04 of 18The First Problem I Refused to Rescue
For once, I let a problem sit there — and did not rush to carry it.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 05 of 18They Knew What I Could Carry, Not What I Was Carrying
They knew exactly what I could handle. They rarely knew what I was holding.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 06 of 18The Small Truths I Started Saying Instead of “It's Fine”
I stopped saying 'it's fine' and started saying something a little truer.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 07 of 18I Thought Taking Over Was Love
I thought doing everything for the people I loved was the same as loving them.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 08 of 18The Alarm That Rang Every Time I Rested
Every time I sat down to rest, something inside me sounded an alarm.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 09 of 18The Hours That Disappeared Into Everyone Else's Day
Some of my hours simply disappeared into everyone else's day.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 10 of 18I Called It Strength Because I Had No One to Lean On
I called it strength. Really, I just had no one to lean on.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 11 of 18I Had to Learn That Love Does Not Always Step In
I used to reach for other people's problems before the problems had fully reached them.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 12 of 18My Body Kept the Truth I Wouldn't Say
My body used to wait until the crisis was over before it let me fall apart.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 13 of 18The First No I Left Unexplained
The first time I said no without an apology, the silence felt louder than the request.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 14 of 18I Was Making the Memories and Missing Them
Everyone remembers the celebrations I created.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 15 of 18Everyone Could Reach Me, but I Had No One to Reach For
My phone was full of people who knew they could call me.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 16 of 18I Could Praise Everyone Except Myself
A compliment could cross an entire room and still never reach me.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 17 of 18The Ledger I Kept Against Myself
I remembered every time I disappointed someone and almost none of the times I saved the day.
Read Story → The Strong One · Story 18 of 18Before We Begin Again, Put Something Down
I began this series believing the hardest part was carrying too much.
Read Story →The Strong One unfolds one story a week, every Friday. Stories already shared are always here to revisit.