I Broke the Real Tradition: Silence

What traditions have you not kept that your parents had? They passed down a few things, sure – a roast dinner on Sundays, perfectly folded laundry, and a deep, loyal commitment to never acknowledging a single emotional need. Some people inherit heirlooms. I inherited a legacy of be quiet and get on with it. The […]

Just Feed Me and Don’t Ask Questions

What foods would you like to make? Honestly? I’d love to make whatever the hell I don’t have to think about. As a child, I took food for granted. Meals just appeared, whether it was fish fingers and beans or a weird casserole that looked truly disgusting. It didn’t matter. It was there. I didn’t […]

The Rules I Was Never Taught

Grief doesn’t arrive politely. It doesn’t knock. It doesn’t wait until you’ve cleared your calendar or built up your resilience. It just shows up, uninvited, inconvenient, and fully expecting you to know what to do with it. But what if you were never taught? What if you grew up in a house where emotions were […]

The Empty Chairs in the Garden

I walked around her garden earlier. All the flowers were in full bloom, like they hadn’t got the memo. Petals open wide, bright and defiant, like they were still waiting for someone to sit among them and admire the view. But the chairs were empty. No laughter. No tea in mismatched mugs. No stories being […]