I finally stopped saying 'I'm fine' after a wedding reception in Boise last summer.

I spent the whole night smiling through my dad's sudden cancer diagnosis news from that morning, and now I just tell people 'it's been a rough week' instead of lying, but how do you even start that kind of conversation without making things awkward?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifer8331mo ago

My cousin's wedding in Tacoma was the same week my dog died. I just picked one person, my aunt who gets it, and said "honestly, I'm running on fumes today." That small truth with one person made the whole night easier. You don't owe the whole crowd your story. Just telling one safe person you're not at 100% can lift that weight off your shoulders.

ellioth371mo ago

Hmm, I actually have the opposite take. Putting that out there, even to one person, can make the whole night about your sad story. Sometimes faking it for a few hours lets you actually escape your own head for a bit.

piperbailey1mo ago

Yeah, exactly what @jennifer833 said. Honestly, just naming it to one person stops you from using all your energy to hide it. Then you can actually be present instead of just pretending. It's like giving yourself a tiny permission slip to just exist.