To the one who is tired of being the "strong one"

Letter 005 of Take What You Need

I’ve been in what I lovingly call my soft boy era, and it’s been one of the most honest seasons of my life.

Recently, I caught myself apologizing for being tired. For needing a moment. And instead of pushing past it like I normally would, I let myself stop. I let myself say it out loud: I don’t have it all together right now.

That moment stuck with me.

For so long, I’ve been the strong one. The dependable one. The provider. The person others lean on. I learned early on how to hold things together, even when I was unraveling inside. But constantly performing strength comes at a steep cost. It teaches you to hide the parts of yourself that need tenderness and rest. It’s a recipe for disaster.

This softer season has been reminding me of something I’ve always known deep down: I’m human. And yeah, duh, we’re all human but it’s important to remember that none of us are meant to be invulnerable all the time. We are not meant to always protect, always endure, always carry the weight without lett…