“I missed out on so much. I missed out on moments I can never get back. Finally, I realized enough is enough. My kids, my family, my (true) friends absolutely DO NOT care how I look in a swimsuit, and I will bet you my next paycheck yours don’t either.”
‘I used to avoid social gatherings because I was so scared to be seen in a swimsuit. I would sit outside the pool, fully clothed, as my kids begged me to have fun with them.’: Woman urges ‘you are more than what you look like in a swimsuit’
‘My doctor called pregnancies at my age ‘geriatric.’ When the f*ck did 38 become geriatric? For the first time in my life, I felt older than I was.’: Woman recounts IVF struggle, ‘Turns out with age comes resilience’
“The only reason we sought IVF after all was due to my husband having a vasectomy. Our doctor sat us down and informed us moving forward at this point would be futile. Women my age seemed to be doing just fine, thank you. I was the problem. Me. I was only 38!”
I Woke Up To My Husband’s Dirty Dishes In The Sink, And I Felt A Rush Of Happiness
“Years ago, I would have looked at these dishes and got annoyed. I probably would have sent a text saying, ‘Really? You left these here?’ My mindset has changed, and it’s something I wish I had learned a long time ago.”
‘You may only have use of your eyes and voice.’ I was told, ‘You should live a less ambitious life.’: Woman with GNE Myopathy says ‘knowing my body is temporary has caused me to truly live’
“I’m told, ‘You will never see research being done because you’re too rare.’ I have lived my life with fear, against a silently ticking clock.”
‘I was in a wheelchair for 3 months, unable to walk or make a living. We were homeless. Friends donated furniture, filled our pantry, and clothed us.’: Family stays hopeful after ‘losing everything’ in fire
“We decided to build a small barn and live in it temporarily. Two weeks from being able to move in, I took a bad ladder fall down the side of the house. What little cash we had left now had to become living expenses. But, God!”
‘My husband died on a Saturday. Monday, we planned the funeral. Thursday, I started a new job. I thought if I stayed busy, it would fix the brokenness.’: Woman urges self care for fellow widows, ‘It’s a daily battle’
“What no one prepares you for is what happens after the last sympathy card is opened and people have moved on. I stuffed away every bad feeling. I am a broken person trying to piece my life back together.”
‘He drilled my boyfriends. He put a down payment on my first car. He comes over to check my car’s oil and fix things that break.’: Woman celebrates father figure, ‘What day celebrates the Gene’s?’
“My dad left when I was a baby. Gene has been in my life as long as I can remember. He wasn’t my dad. He wasn’t even technically my step-dad. He was Gene.”
‘I noticed a young black boy walking into our yard. Something was strange. Then, I realized he had his hands up.’: Man urges ‘we need to do better’ after heartbreaking encounter with boy
“We were sitting here having lunch when his ball had rolled into our yard. He looked nervous. He walked so slowly, looking straight ahead. Then I realized he had his hands up.”
‘Today I woke up from my fight with one pandemic, and turned on the news to be reminded of another pandemic entirely.’: Mom recovering from Covid-19 says ‘America has a RACISM PANDEMIC’
“I am weary. My heart is broken. Friends, America has a RACISM PANDEMIC that is claiming the lives of our black brothers and sisters at a horrifying rate. When a black child is stolen from us, EVERY mother’s heart should bleed.”
My Summer Body Will Not Be Measured By What I Lose, But By Everything I’ll Gain In My Summer Of ‘Yes’
“I don’t know about you, but it feels like all I see on social media this time of year is summer body this, summer body that. Those who want it. Those who are working on it. And those who are giving up. And it was driving me BONKERS, until I realized that I, too, want a summer body. But not the usual kind.”