“Today, I broke. I shattered into a million tiny sharp pieces.
It didn’t come as a surprise if you had been paying attention.
My boundaries had been weakening, the burdens I had been carrying kept getting heavier, and the grace I was trying to give myself was shrinking. But, I hadn’t been paying attention.
And so, I broke. Right there in the middle of the morning.
But I had things to do, responsibilities to tend to, and deadlines to make, so I took all my broken pieces and shoved them into pockets, kicked them under carpets, and pushed my feelings inward. And pretended.
Though I carried on with my day, the feelings were still right there at the surface.
Feeling unseen.
Feeling unvalued.
Feeling unworthy.
Feeling useless.
There were feelings, so many feelings.
However, tonight (right there in the middle of an exchange with a group of amazing humans) I became unbroken.
The shattered pieces of myself found their way back together all because of a few kind words. In an instant, things shifted. Because of a few kind words.
I felt seen.
I felt valued.
I felt worthy.
I felt useful.
They had no way of knowing that I had been broken or that what I needed most of all tonight was exactly what they gave me, but I’m so thankful for their words.
Because of a few kind words, I was reminded of who I really am as a person and what truly matters to me.
While we all need to be able to feel those things without input from others, the truth is that sometimes we DO need to hear it from other people. We are humans and need connection.
Sometimes we need to know that people see us. Really see us.
So, say the kind things.
Tell people the impact they have on your life. Let them know what they mean to you.
Because maybe the day you tell them is the day they most need to hear them.”
This article was submitted to Love What Matters by Jenni Brennan. You can follow her on Facebook. Join the Love What Matters family and subscribe to our newsletter.
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