After the funeral, it’s hard to bring up what hurt me.
After we got back from the funeral, something my spouse did hurt me, but I held back because I didn’t want to add to the heaviness of that day.
Scenes
- After the funeral — That evening, when we got home from the funeral, I saw that my spouse had already fallen asleep, and I felt hurt. Bringing it up felt like adding a complaint to an already heavy day.
- Why I held back — That evening, my spouse washed up after we got back from the funeral and went to bed first. I wanted them to stay by my side, but I couldn’t say so.
- Words for sharing hurt — When you talk about feeling hurt, it can help to separate what happened from what you hoped for. For example: “I felt hurt when you fell asleep first. That day, I wanted you to stay by my side.”
- Just one line tonight — Tonight, write one line in your notepad about what happened and one line about what you hoped for. Reading them back may help you see where your words begin.
- Keep what you hoped for — Some days, the words just won’t come. When that happens, even keeping the sentence “I wanted you by my side that day” can help you hold on to what you want to say.
Stories by Cheongun
- Cheongun
- I can’t sleep, even with the lights off.
- When I write down what the child needs, where does my share go?
- When I bring up money with my family, I wake up before dawn.
- Before turning the calendar page
- When I bring up wanting time alone, my commute gets longer.
- On payday, Dad asked me to pass that along
- At the light, I think of what I want to say to my family.
- At lunch, I want to choose my child’s career path for them.