“Affair number 2 opened my eyes. I was in my longest relationship, lived in a cute little house, and had a decent job. Yet, I wasn’t happy. Something felt off. The day I realized what was missing, I felt a passionate electric surge of energy that warmed my entire body. All from a handshake. From the moment I met him, I wanted to rip his clothes off.”
‘Anytime you want to rip my clothes off, you can.’ It was so forward, direct. He knew I was thinking about it.’: Woman admits having 3 affairs before 30, says she’s still ‘learning how to be honest’ with everyone in her life
‘That’s it, I’m going to write a suicide note and be dead by Monday.’ I’d already attempted once by taking 90 Benadryl.’: 14-year-old describes feeling ‘no one cared,’ his life was ‘worthless’
“I got home and checked an Instagram group chat I was involved in and saw everyone thought I was actually dead for 4 days. It made me sad because at the time I didn’t think anyone cared and I felt everyone would be better off without me.”
‘I was dating a guy. He ended it. He didn’t see a future because, ‘while he was partying, I’d just stand there.’: Woman recalls the perks of dating sober, says ‘you value yourself,’ learn this ‘awesome thing’ called ‘standards’
“I used to consider going to the bar and getting hammered a ‘date.’ It’s nice to learn about a person and actually remember it now, rather than waking up the next morning and thinking, ‘Wow, this guy drinks as much as me – so I know he won’t judge me. He’s a keeper.’”
‘I am older than he was when he died. There is nothing more unnatural. He is suspended in time at 45.’: Wife’s emotional reason for not wanting to celebrate birthdays after husband’s death to cancer
“The first birthday I spent with my husband, I turned 16. I remember where we went, what I was wearing. It was the first time he really held my hand. There was something magical about it. It was fall. We were coming out of a hot summer, the night air was cool. There was nobody else I wanted to spend it with than him. The last birthday I spent with him was my 43rd. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Nothing has been the same since.”
‘Yup, you have it too. Sorry, babe.’ NOT ME TOO! I was so grossed out. I was itchy. Why us?!’: Mom relives horror of 4 kids infesting home with lice, urges other parents to ‘admit’ when family has it
“We were standing at the bus stop when my daughter was scratching her head. Um, why is she scratching so much? I watched her for a minute, and could tell this was serious. Instant panic. LICE! My whole body went into hysteria. I had 4 thick, curly heads looming before me. Crap, what about my OWN head? Oh God. Tim… please… check… my… head… He parted my hair, examining it with his phone’s flashlight.”
‘I will never love any child after you as much. Sorry to my second, but it’s true.’: Mom ‘forever indebted’ to first child, thanks her for ‘making me a mother’
“I will love them differently, but it’s never the same as your first. That’s why they say the first time for everything is so sacred.”
‘You slept with your back to her. You forgot how to put her first. If you love her, choose her.’: Wife reminds husband if you don’t choose her, ‘someone else will’
“When you met her she was fun, she was a size 6. Her hair was as wild as she was. You stared at her while she slept. Your eyes glowed, because you chose her. But somewhere along the way, that changed. Regret is forever, and if you don’t choose her, someone else will.”
‘Is he your first?’ My heart starts racing. My palms go sweaty. It’s a simple question, but I panic.’: Mom of 4 child losses ‘filled with guilt’ over complicated answer in grocery store parking lot
“My son Wyatt waves from the grocery cart. My voice cracks. ‘Yes, he’s our first,’ I muster out. He smiles at us. My eyes tear up and immediately, I’m filled with guilt as I push the cart and walk away. The truth is, the real answer is much too complicated for a stranger. We have 5 children, but he is the first we brought home.”
‘I felt itching on my stomach, noticed a small black spec. I became panicked. My boss looked at me. ‘That’s a tick!’: Young woman encourages others battling invisible illness to ‘never stop fighting’
“I remember riding the train and I felt like a stranger was living in my body. I didn’t feel like myself… I felt like my world was constantly spinning, I was beyond exhausted, no matter how much I slept, and I often found myself wearing sunglasses because the light bothered me so much. Before this, I didn’t even own a pair. I got a call from the Urgent Care. ‘You tested positive for Lyme Disease. You need to come get you an antibiotic.’”
‘I’m too scared to go back,’ I told my mom. His voice paralyzed me. I lived in fear he’d kill my mother.’: 23-year-old adopted by stepfather who ‘never ceased to fight’ for her during childhood trauma with biological dad
“I lived in 2 different worlds. Five days a week I was in a picture-perfect home with a beautiful stay-at-home mom. But the remaining 2 days, I was in survival mode. I remember watching the clock tick by, counting down the time I had left in my safe haven before I’d have to get in the car and enter my second world. My biological dad had trained me well, so I kept his secrets. I’d stare at the window in my bedroom, hands on the frame, trying to build enough courage to slip out of it and run.”
