The very thing I think I can’t tell you 
is what I need to. 
The very thing I fear will bring 
judgment and rejection, 
brings compassion and connection instead. 

Sharing our stories, 
being vulnerable, 
being needy, afraid, hurt and discombobulated 
and not having to hide it, 
not having to fix it, 
not having to be it– 
Can you imagine such freedom? 

Oh, there are those 
who will judge us, 
call us self-absorbed. 
Let them. 
They heard our stories, 
and they can’t unhear them now. 
It’s too late. 
Love has slipped in 
and set the captive free. 

You can survive on your own; you can grow strong on your own;
you can prevail on your own; but you cannot become human on your own.
–Frederick Buechner,  
Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner

Credits and References:
Today’s post was inspired by a conversation on the Collective Trauma Summit between Thomas Hübl and Cheryl Strayed.
Birds on a Wire by Julie Falk. Used with permission.
Our Stories by Esther Hizsa, 2025
Freedom by Erick Bethlehem. Used with permission.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025. 
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com