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Jenn H's avatar

"I still believe no one is coming to help me. ... I ask for help, and I cower in the shame of it until I succumb to the joy of it."

"Every day, I keep learning that self-sufficiency isn’t how hard you can be. It’s how soft."

Lessons I started learning years ago and still need reminders of. Thank you.

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Nico's avatar

"a buttload of candles."

YEP I feel that.

Hooray for social media not being a hellscape, but a place to find copacetic human beings.

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Kelton Wright's avatar

A true gift sometimes.

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JXO's avatar

Loved this. Thank you Kelton and Michelle. 💛

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J.T. Ellison's avatar

Thank you both for these gentle words of wisdom.

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Jack Everly's avatar

Wow!! Amazing stuff! Really resonates because my wife is cut from the same kind of wood. She's a real go-getter – and likewise suffers for it. I'm going to force her to read this ASAP. Reminds me of the old Dylan song "Just Like A Woman," but I am not so naive or ignorant as to suppose that men do not suffer similarly. I'm living proof. Both articles are raging proofs of the idea that we need to limit our distractions and choose our priorities wisely: it's so easy to lose oneself and become just another of the scarred millions...PS: Michelle it's "make do" not "due"...;-) Where's your father from? My wife's German...

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Michelle Juergen's avatar

Thanks for reading 🙏 and good catch! ;)

Most of my German family lives around Hamburg, although they originated closer to Poland from what I’ve gathered!

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Jack Everly's avatar

Only been to Hamburg once. I prefer Nature - in the SW where my wife is from the biggest forest in Germany sprawls into Eastern France. You should be really proud of yourself for this piece. Great job!

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Michelle Juergen's avatar

☺️🙏thank you! And that area sounds lovely — I need to get to the Schwarzwald eventually because I know I’ll fall in love with it. I’ve spent some time in the forests in Thüringia and along the river near Strasbourg and up in the north at Jasmund National Park, and it all made me realize how there is SO much nature to explore in Germany outside the cities.

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Karen Davis's avatar

I so needed to read this. I might need to read it daily for a while until it starts to sink in. “you’re not an inconvenience, Kelton. But it is annoying when you act like one.” - ohhhhhh. I do this.

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Kelton Wright's avatar

It's so hard to remember that the joy we feel in being there for and helping others is a feeling that also extends to us.

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Patti Petersen's avatar

Thank you both for a beautiful great piece that forces me to reflect on my self-sufficiency. Being newly married has put the kibosh on my (typical) fight-or-flight response. I'm learning to soften, but my bag is still packed in the event of....

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Sarah Styf's avatar

Oh, this piece is beautiful. And yes, self-sufficiency is self-care. But also, we need to embrace being interdependent (not dependent) with others.

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Jade Shih's avatar

Wonderful read on a Monday morning for me, I'm really enjoying your writing. Agree with the self sufficiency, I also struggle with finding the line between wanting to do it myself, and realising that its actually detrimental and I should lower my armour and accept some help. Thank you for sharing x

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Kelton Wright's avatar

"lower my armour" - love that.

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Danielle's avatar

I loved this-softening is something I've been focusing on in the last year, and letting going of that stubborn self-sufficiency is probably the last hurdle. Thank you both for sharing.

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arielamanda's avatar

Beautiful!

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LT's avatar

Look what you created and how it resonates. Amazing - the two pieces, the humans, the pets, the home - they all mesh as a gift to the writers and the audiences who read this week's Shangrilogs. Well done. With tears of empathy and joy.

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Kelton Wright's avatar

Love you!

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Teagan Seman's avatar

Endlessly thank you. <3

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Kelton Wright's avatar

💛💛💛

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Sue Ferrera's avatar

Absolute great read on this rainy Sunday morning. Thank you both for all the reminders. 💟

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Heather's avatar

Thank you both for these important reminders <3

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Claire's avatar

I have been putting in the work to get Ruth to understand Ani’s unreal songwriting. Glad that quote stuck with you - I think about “I’ve gotten out of everything I’ve gotten into so far” regularly too.

Love that you’re getting better at asking for help

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Kelton Wright's avatar

And one more great lyric, "You would take me anywhere"

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