Dear fellow beautiful voyagers,
I’ve never been great at communicating my feelings. Surprising to hear from the author of an email like this, but true. Perhaps I found myself on this path for that exact reason.
Maybe it’s COVID, or the stress of the country, or something else altogether, but I’ve recently found myself at a crossroads. Should I speak up a bit more about how I feel, risking potential stress in people around me? Or is it better to stay quiet and choose relationship harmony over the struggle of communication?
Here’s an example. My daughter’s 11-year-old friend was sleeping over at our house. The girls wanted to walk a couple blocks to the grocery store to get some treats for the movie they’d watch later in the evening. The friend said, “Are you really going to let us walk alone? My parents always tell me I will be kidnapped!” She repeated this fear numerous times over the course of the evening, saying she wished her parents would loosen their overprotective grip.
I felt…