I’ve sat with people on what they believed might be their last day.
I could feel their words.
The heartbreak, the exhaustion, the surrender that can creep in when life feels too heavy.
I’ve learned that most people are searching for just one thing to hold on to. One reason, one person, one moment, one breath that leads to the next.
Not long after stepping into that role, I found myself there, too - vulnerable.
Not as the negotiator, as the person trying to survive.
It felt like being locked in a straitjacket and thrown into the sea, fighting to stay afloat, gasping between waves, not thinking about tomorrow. Just trying to keep breathing, second by second.
We often say, “Just reach out, help is there.”
When you’re in that space, reaching out can feel impossible. All of your energy is spent on surviving the moment you’re in.
From the outside, it can look like withdrawal, anger, silence, or even resistance.
On the inside - it’s a battle between strength and fragility.
Strength because they’re still here, still fighting, still breathing.
Fragility because it’s a second-by-second existence.
It’s said that the measure of a society is how we treat our most vulnerable.
But before we can support them, we must first understand them.
When we do, we don’t just respond better, we connect and steady the waves.
In doing so, we might just become the reason they hold on for one more breath.
Let’s talk!
Vulnerability!