The connection required to heal.

The extremely brief passing of shock…whoa, she went there.

Followed by the deep breath of relief in feeling seen.

And then a palpable sense of connection.

The connection required to heal.

I no longer pretend.

I no longer play along.

I will not act like nothing is going on.

I speak the unspoken and name what needs to be named.

Because if we don’t, it owns us and eats us from the inside out, damaging our trust and destroying our relationships.

The unspoken is never benign.