Safe places and safe people ask good questions that may not feel safe at all, but they have goodness flowing through them. In short: A genuinely safe place isn’t one where you’re never challenged — it’s one where you’re never condemned. True emotional safety comes from unhurried listening, gentle curiosity, […]
Relationships & Connection
62 posts
There’s work, home, and loneliness, but maybe a third place can be the place of hope. Let’s make one together. I’m looking for a third place, and I think you might be too. It’s a place where I feel I belong and there is no pressure to perform, to do, […]
When we’re half dead and want to be fully alive, we need a love that crosses a line. He was half dead. She had been stripped naked. They had worked him over, taking enjoyment from the assault. I leaned down over her nakedness and heard a whisper, ‘Help me.’ I […]
There is a kind of loneliness that feels like a huge void has been opened up, and you’re broken on the other side. But there is one that crosses the void to bring connection. I’m still trying to understand why they avoided me. They knew I was in a mess, […]
When you are living in the shadow, you may feel unseen, but that place of the hidden may be the best place to be, so let’s make the most of it. One of my favorite plants lives in the shadows. It can live in full sunlight but does best and […]
To demand or expect forgiveness is one of the clearest signs of fake repentance. It is like a chess player trying to manipulate the board rather than an offender offering a true change of heart. Real repentance submits itself to the poetry of waiting, praying, and hoping—never coercion. They thought […]
Who are the five people you spend the most time with? They will be the ones who have the most influence over you. Quick answer: Your “circle of five” is the small group of people (family, friends, colleagues, even the podcasters and authors you follow) who shape your thinking, […]
No one likes to submit. It feels foreign and dangerous, but we long for intimacy (in-to-me-see), so we taste and see if the other is good and safe. There was movement and rhythm as the couple glided across the dance floor. He gently led, she moved in response. She would […]
Are you tired of being the Scapegoat but don’t know how to stop it? Six key steps to stop being the dumping ground of other people’s rubbish. She felt like they were making her a scapegoat. They were saying she was responsible for all the terrible things that had happened. […]
Some people seem to like to rain on your parade, but we can learn how to hoist an umbrella and continue on. Quick answer: When someone rains on your parade, they dismiss, mock, or criticise the joy and creativity you share with them. It often says more about them than […]