“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
— Brené Brown
This is a letter to you,
The one who is frustrated and wants to grab it all by the collar and yell, “There is a better way.”
The one who is exhausted, having poured their heart and soul into their work with nothing left to give.
The one who feels defeated, having tried every tool in the box and still not knowing how to do it differently.
The one who is at their wits’ end, overwhelmed by the dysfunction, ready to break.
The one who is afraid, expected to have all the answers and always know the right thing to do.
I see you because I am you.
I’m frustrated because I care. Because I want to make it better.
I’m exhausted because I believe I have to do it all myself, and I don’t ask for help.
I’m defeated because I’ve kept trying the same things, expecting different results.
I’m overwhelmed because I try to control it all, and I break down in tears when i try to carry one more thing.
I’m afraid because I don’t know if the choices I make or the things I share are the right ones.
It’s so easy to get caught in the frustration, lost in the not-knowing, watching the slow dimming of light and hope. Sometimes the hardest part is admitting these things to myself and harder still is saying it out loud. To set down every layer of protection and let you see me. The real me: the rawness, the hurt, the desperate wanting to make it better, but not knowing how.
I’ve come to find that on the other side of this is a gentle invitation. An invitation to step forward into the unknown. To lean into what scares me. To dare to show up, to release control, and to accept that I don’t have all the answers.
A quiet invitation that lingers with a simple question:
What is the real work we are being asked to do?
