21/07/2023
So true
Every woman I know has, at one point or another,
sobbed in the shower
cried in the car
swallowed down tears in the supermarket
and broken down in the bathroom.
And then she has dried her eyes, lifted her head, taken a deep breath and carried on.
She has walked into work
or in through the front door
or into the store or the coffee shop or the hair salon.
And she has smiled and chatted to people so that no one would know she’d been crying.
And I’m not reminding us of this to say
“look how strong we are to pull ourselves together when we are falling apart”.
Although that still stands.
I’m reminding us how easy it is to paint on a brave face so that other people are none the wiser.
So whilst it might not have been you sitting in the car park crying this morning, it might have been that woman who sits three desks down from you.
Whilst it might not have been you sobbing in the shower before getting the kids ready for school this morning, it might have been their teacher. Or another parent on the school run.
Whilst you might have gotten round the supermarket without being on the verge of tears today, it might not be the same for the person working the till. Or the person behind you in the queue.
Everyone wears their brave face in public.
And we’ll never really know just how many people around us have pulled themselves together with the thinnest of threads each morning. How many people are ready to fall apart again at any point.
But compassion strengthens those threads.
Compassion is powerful.
Because even when no one can see it,
even when no one can hear it…
They can feel it.
******
Becky Hemsley 2022
Image from Canva
*This may well be true for men too but I was writing from my perspective and from the many conversations I’ve had with friends over the years ❤️
‘Handle with Care’ is from an upcoming collection. Current collections are here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Becky-Hemsley/e/B0BMZJ454M/ref=zg_bs_books_bl_sccl_5/000-0000000-0000000
