(been sitting in the draft for months. with my uncle in the hospital this week. ended up thinking about this one a lot. all over the place. editing a bit from my phone. apologies for the typos) I have a brother - a twin brother - with Cerebral Palsy. I never learned how to bring this fact up or talk about it deeply with people in my life - people who weren’t family and didn’t know my brother already. It always felt damn near impossible to explain the interiority of my relationship with E. - and to do so without eliciting what felt like pity. I always hated bringing it up. So often I resorted to silence - avoided questions about siblings or family because I didn’t want to broach the uncomfortable conversation of explaining my brother’s disability, seeing a mix of pitied & not-sure-what-to-say faces, and having to explain what it all ‘meant’ for my family.
“How much of our lives are for ourselves versus for the people we love?”
Mentally/emotionally plus my life experiences this question greatly resonated with me. I believe this question is ever so important due to the loss of so much the past few years. With continuous sacrifices and lofty expectations its feels criminal to be selfish with self care. Finding a healthy balance of selfishness in a time of life that demands selflessness is exhausting. Thank you for your words and honesty.
♥️♥️♥️
“How much of our lives are for ourselves versus for the people we love?”
Mentally/emotionally plus my life experiences this question greatly resonated with me. I believe this question is ever so important due to the loss of so much the past few years. With continuous sacrifices and lofty expectations its feels criminal to be selfish with self care. Finding a healthy balance of selfishness in a time of life that demands selflessness is exhausting. Thank you for your words and honesty.