cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Share your quitting journey

Showing up Broken

AnnetteMM
Member
9 8 111

Responding to a sister in need earlier reminded me of something my daughter likes to remind ME of from time to time:

It takes great courage to show up broken.

We don't like to show our weaknesses. We (and by "we" I mean "I") like to appear strong, and smart, and totally with it. Being broken, feeling weak, feeling needy, feeling our emptiness, being HUMAN somehow seems like an imposition on other people. I always think that if I share those feelings that other people are going to shrink away from me in horror and shame and disgust.

Actually, nothing could be further from the truth!

One thing I know for sure is that if someone I care for shows up broken, I feel honored to be trusted with her heart. I feel lifted up by her faith in me to help. I never feel horrified or ashamed or disgusted, so why would I think anyone else would feel this way?

The image I chose (above) shows broken glass.  But it also kind of looks like an opening, letting healing in, letting friendship in, letting in a new spirit.  We can't let in new things if we're not open to them.

So we don't need to fear showing up broken. We're addicts. We're all broken. 
That's why we're here.

8 Comments
About the Author
I became nicotine-free on Christmas Day 2017. That's what I use as my quit date. I had smoked cigarettes for 45 years, then vaped Juuls for a few months before quitting cold turkey when I used up my supply of pods. I am a retired widow, living in Upstate NY.