One of the things I love about the Cup of Jo community is the ability of readers and writers to bring laughter and support for difficult times. Reader comments often remind me of a quote from Cheryl Strayed in Dear Sugar about the healing power of connecting with someone who understands what you’re going through. If you’re in the mood for some blog reading, here are excerpts from 15 personal essays (with amazing comments)…
On Grief:
“Sometimes it hits like a sucker punch when people ask, ‘How are your brothers?’ and I know they mean two, not three…Six years on, it’s still a shock that Mark isn’t here or there, asking if I want to go for a swim, texting something that made him laugh. I have three brothers, but I don’t always know how to speak to Mark’s goneness at the same time I trace Robert and Andrew’s presence. I want to keep them in the same sentence, the same tense, no two-thirds good and one-third dead.” — Alex Ronan, On Losing My Brother
“People keep welcoming me into the Dead Dad Club, or the dead parent club, or the worst club in the world, and I do think that in some ways, we’re all in the same club, but I also feel aware of how many different cliques there are, like Cher giving Tai a tour of the school campus in Clueless — the people who idolized their parent, the people who were still children when their parent died, the people who had unhappy, complicated relationships, the people who were estranged, the people who were surprised.” — Emma Straub, The Dead Dad Club
On Friendship:
“We were each other’s ideal audience. When one of us needed to replay every moment leading to our breakups, the other listened and asked, ‘What else?’ We were the female version of Harry and Sally, and while we didn’t get married, we did fall in love.” — Jannelle Sanchez, A Friendship Meet Cute
On Mental Health:
“Instead of spending all my energy managing my emotions, I can just be myself. Medication has allowed me to brainstorm more easily. And I don’t spiral at bedtime anymore. I just read my book and FALL ASLEEP.” — Joanna Goddard, A Love Letter to My Anti-Anxiety Medication
On Embracing Identity:
“‘Blackness,’ like any culture, contains multitudes, which is something to be acknowledged and celebrated, not reduced or mocked. So can I go hiking in Alaska and love Fleabag and not be able to cook a damn thing and still stand fully in my Blackness? Of course I can.” — Christine Pride, On Feeling ‘Black Enough’
I’d love to know, what posts have made you feel seen or helped you through a hard time? And, as always, take gentle care. P.S. More incredible reader…
