Tag: Boundaries
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The Gate
During our time together, there was a gate. I never went past it. I was never invited inside.He would stand there waiting, beside it, every time. At first, it felt practical.Later, it became familiar.Eventually, I understood it as something else. It was a physical boundary I was not meant to cross.And quietly, it was an…
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The Ambiguous Ghost
The ghost is not fully formed. The possibility of it is there. I sense it before I see anything. Not a presence exactly. More of a shift. The room feels slightly less empty than it should. The light holds longer in the corners. The air pauses, as if waiting to be noticed. When I look,…
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The Coercive Controller
He was a breath of fresh air.Until he wasn’t. The connection was instant.I told myself I had been through a lot.I deserved to give this a chance. He said he could see us lasting.That this was something special.I was hesitant.I wanted to believe. He was attentive. Consistent.Yes, I thought. That’s what I need. He mowed…
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The Cake
The cake had been going well. They had laughed while mixing it, flour dusting the bench, music playing low. It felt easy. Comfortable. The kind of moment that suggests there might be more of these ahead. Then, as Mara slid the cake across the bench, it tipped. The cake cracked and sagged to one side.…
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Empty
They told me they were empty. Not in a dramatic way.Just a statement, offered early.I nodded and stayed. I walked alongside them.I offered time.A small box of moments.We talked. We laughed. We shared stories.There were hugs. Ease. A sense of something forming. They told me again they were empty. I stayed.We did things together.We went…
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Calm, Clear, Kind: Personal Boundaries Without Conflict
For a long time, I thought boundaries had to be sharp to be effective.Clear meant firm.Firm meant hard.And hard often meant cold. What I have learned, slowly and sometimes painfully, is that personal boundaries do not need emotional intensity to be real. They need clarity. Calm boundaries are not weak.They are regulated. When we are…
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The Bravest Thing I’m Doing Is Letting Go
The thing I’m most scared to do is let go of what I’ve outgrown. Not because I don’t see it.I usually do. But because letting go asks me to step into a quieter kind of courage. The kind where no one claps, no one validates it, and no one else can do it for me.…
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Calm, Clear, Kind: Dating Boundaries That Protect Your Peace
Early dating can feel exciting. It can also feel confusing. Because you are not just getting to know someone else, you are also watching yourself.How you respond.What you tolerate.What you overexplain.What you stay quiet aboutWhat you accept too early because you want it to work. That is why boundaries in early dating matter so much.…
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Calm, Clear, Kind: Professional Boundaries Without the Heat
There is a common belief that boundaries have to be sharp to be effective. If you are not firm, loud, or visibly frustrated, people will not take you seriously. But in my experience, boundaries do not need raised voices or emotional intensity to “count.” They need clarity. They need consistency. And they need respect. In…
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When Pausing Is the Work
Stop. Think about the last time you paused.Why did you pause.Was it because something needed time to be re-evaluated.Because something no longer sat right.Or because it sat exactly right, and you wanted to move forward with intention. We often treat pausing as a failure of momentum.A sign that something has gone wrong, or that commitment…
The Next Chapter Room 