I have come to understand that I am a truth-teller. Speaking my truth helps me make sense of what is happening around me. However, I have also learned that many people are not comfortable discussing certain aspects of their lives\u2014often due to fear. Fear that those around them won\u2019t accept them. Fear of criticism. Or fear that exposing the truth might shatter the image others hold of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shame thrives in that silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For me, sharing my story has become a powerful way to release that shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each time I have opened up\u2014whether in a conversation, a journal, or a quiet moment with someone I trust\u2014I have been met with a familiar phrase: \u201cMe too.\u201d<\/em> It turns out, we\u2019re all carrying something. Some of us are going through it now. Others have been there and come out the other side. But without sharing, we\u2019d never know how connected we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, choosing the right<\/em> people to be vulnerable with is key. Not everyone can hold the weight of another person\u2019s truth. I have learned this the hard way\u2014especially within my own family. Avoidance can feel safer than truth-telling for some. And I\u2019ve had to accept that it\u2019s their choice if they are not ready to face or heal from what\u2019s been unspoken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, I have also realized this: I no longer feel obligated to keep others comfortable at my own expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My history with complicated family dynamics has taught me that. Releasing shame means releasing the pressure to protect people who were part of my pain. Some may never be ready to face uncomfortable truths. Some will say, \u201cIt\u2019s your family\u2014just keep it together.\u201d<\/em> Or \u201cThat\u2019s just how it is.\u201d<\/em> But I disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because here\u2019s the truth: real, meaningful relationships can\u2019t be built on silence. They can\u2019t grow where there\u2019s only performance, not presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Telling our stories\u2014especially the hard ones\u2014is how we begin to feel seen. It\u2019s how we invite others to see themselves. It\u2019s how we stop enabling the patterns that keep us small and disconnected. And it\u2019s how we reclaim the parts of ourselves that shame told us to hide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why I write stories of women. It\u2019s why I have written an epistolary memoir\u2014a life review told through letters\u2014to speak truth and to see the many versions of myself that once felt fragmented or lost. I see them now as shadows cast against the wall of truth. And I want to walk up to every single one of them smile and say, Thank you.<\/em> Thank you for not giving up, even when I know you wanted to. Thank you for finding your voice, even in the silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a quote that speaks to me deeply: \u201cTo discover new land, we must be willing to lose sight of the shore.\u201d<\/em> That has become my compass. I am learning to let go of the emotional attachments to people I once made feel special by keeping their truths locked inside me. Now, I understand: detachment reveals truth. And in that space, I am free to build something more honest, more aligned, and more whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t tell the truth to destroy. We tell it to set ourselves free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have come to understand that I am a truth-teller. Speaking my truth helps me make sense of what is happening around me. However, I have also learned that many people are not comfortable discussing certain aspects of their lives\u2014often due to fear. Fear that those around them won\u2019t accept them. Fear of criticism. 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