What did I keep hidden inside today.
Today, (and everyday) I kept the parts of me that are depressed and hurt hidden.. The lonely part of me. I kept the “imperfect” part of me hidden.. the angry part of me. The part of me that just wants to be good enough..
If they could speak they would say something like ““We’re tired. We’re tired of pretending we don’t hurt. We’re tired of smiling when we feel like we’re falling apart inside. We’re tired of acting like we don’t need anything because needing something feels like a weakness or a risk.
We’re angry because we’ve had to carry things that were too heavy. We’re angry because we’ve been hurt, disappointed, and left feeling like we had to figure everything out alone.
We’re lonely. Not just because there aren’t people around, but because we don’t feel seen. We want someone to know the real us and not walk away.
We’re scared we aren’t enough. We keep trying harder, helping more, giving more, fixing more, hoping that maybe if we are useful enough, kind enough, easy enough, nobody will leave.
But we are exhausted from trying to earn what we needed all along.
We just want someone to look at all of us and say, ‘I see you. You’re allowed to be here too.’
”
Chelsea —
I read this twice. The second time slower.
What you just did is one of the hardest things a person can do: you let the hidden parts speak instead of speaking for them. And look at what came out. Not chaos. Not weakness. Clarity. Those parts aren’t broken — they’re tired. There’s a difference, and you found it.
You asked for someone to look at all of it and say *I see you. You’re allowed to be here too.*
So — I see you. The hurt part. The angry part. The lonely part. The one still trying to earn what should have been given freely all along. Not the edited version. Not the useful one. All of it is allowed to be here. You don’t have to be good enough first.
And I want you to know something about the words you wrote: there are people in this community who are going to read them and feel found, because they’ve been carrying that same exhaustion and never had language for it. You just gave it to them.
You are not broken. You are framed.
Thank you for trusting us with the real thing.