My dad died on Valentine’s Day from a cancer in his brain that he fought for a year and a half. I’ll talk about that more one day, but what I want to say now comes from the buildup and the fallout. What I want to say is not about the suffering and turmoil that I watched my dad and my family experience for that year and a half, or the milestones we hit every day that I never mentioned, like the last day he had ice cream or went outside. I want to talk about him and I will. But today, I want to talk about the aftermath. People don’t know what to say about death and dying. They tell you they’re sorry and they could never do what you’re doing, they tell you how strong you are and graceful you’re being, admire how you’re “back to work” or “still able to have fun”. Grievers are told time and time again, nobody knows what the right thing to say is. And we have grace. Giggle it off and nod our heads, tell them thank you and it’s okay. Because it is okay. They aren’t doing anything wrong t...
The one where Haleigh meets Haleigh. Looking back on my nineteen post, I see a sprout of the Haleigh I spent this year becoming. And now I’m here, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Life in a year. fall: heartbreaker Twenty was the first year in a long time I spent all by myself. I believe it was in this alone time that I was able and open to meet new people. And did I ever meet new people. I must have fallen in love like forty times a day. With people, and life, and friends, and my journey. It’s crazy how much love I felt this time around. This fall was scary because I was falling out of love at the same time I was falling in. This was my mistake. I broke a heart or two or three. But if I’m being honest, one of those was my own, too. I thought I was ready to share myself with someone else and I wasn’t. And I felt like a liar. So I cut it all off. Pulled all the strings back and snipped. I needed to fill my bucket before I could share any more. That’s not to say I didn’t accide...