To The Sweet Friend Who Chose To Uplift Me, Not Knowing I Was Vulnerable, Thank You

“I am not weak.
I am tired.
Small words. Big difference.

I’ve admittedly had a hard couple weeks. It just seemed like there was thing after thing compiling and gnawing away at my mental fortitude.

I’m good at shouldering the hard days. I am darn near professional at it at this point. But strong is not always the answer. A friend kindly corrected my language, and I couldn’t be more thankful she did.

A repercussion of prolonged strength and bravery means naturally, I get weary.

This space has turned into a public therapy session of sorts. And normally I’m happy to share, in hopes even the smallest part of our journey provides hope or strength for someone else.

But such a level of vulnerability is suffocating sometimes. And I don’t always have the energy to bare my wounds in the event some troll decides to unload their assumptions this direction (yes, this happens often. I’m growing a thicker skin).

My vulnerability is an effort towards transparency. Showcase the good days, but never pretend the hard ones don’t exist.

It just isn’t real life. And talking about the hard stuff doesn’t make me unhappy with my life or depressed.

It just makes me human.

So choose to be generous and intentional.

Generous with your words, and intentional with your thoughts. Spread a little sunshine wherever you go. Today may be the day you speak just the right words to the person who needed them the most.

To the sweet friend who chose to be generous and uplifting to me, not knowing I was tired, thank you. Thank you for gently encouraging I give myself permission to be tired. And for the reminder of how human it is.

We can’t be strong all the time.

Words hold so much power, and sometimes this power gives another the sparkle they need.

Go give someone some sparkle.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Nicole Fergesen of West Des Moines, IA. You can follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, and her blog. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.

Read more from Nicole here:

‘As soon as my sister and I being pregnant together seemingly aligned, my husband died.’: Remarried widow fulfills dream of being pregnant at the same time as her sister

‘There’s no wrong way to celebrate or mourn your loved one. There’s no rulebook for this.’: Widow honors husband on anniversary of his passing, ‘Do what feels good for YOU’

‘Let’s give this a go, shall we?’ The first time we met, I can’t even tell you how nervous I was. It’s about giving up control.’: Moms co-write blended family journey, ‘Life is humbling and messy’

‘Do you remember your dad?’ She responded, ‘Which one?’ Our family dynamic changed completely.’: Widow shares ‘beautiful and complicated’ journey after loss

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