Connection

8 letters

I built my life around independence—proving I didn't need anyone, keeping score in relationships, withholding my heart to maintain power. My father taught me that survival meant isolation. That trust was dangerous. Marriage is teaching me something different. These essays explore what happens when you stop keeping score. When you risk caring more instead of less. When you let love pull you down from anxiety's clouds to solid ground. They're about the courage it takes to be truly known, and the wholeness that comes from integrating your past so you can connect fully in the present. This theme is emerging as I learn that the armor that once protected me now keeps me from what I need most: to love and be loved without condition.