I write a sexual health question in my new year planner, then erase it
At year’s end, I start looking at the calendar again, as if I have to finish even the sexual health questions I put off before the year ends.
Scenes
- I try to finish even my questions this year — At year’s end, I write the sexual health questions I put off in my new year planner, then soon erase them. The closer the date gets, the more I search.
- Everything I don’t know grows at once — When I read one article, other possibilities follow. Before I consider what applies to me, I try to reach a conclusion first.
- Information can’t replace a question — Sexual health information can expand what you don’t know, but it can’t confirm what’s happening in your situation. So what you saw and what you’re guessing start to blur together.
- Separate what you saw from what you’re wondering — Tonight, try writing just one line for “what I saw” and one for “what I’m wondering.” Instead of deciding on an answer, you’re checking the shape of the question.
- It’s okay if things don’t become clear right away — Even after you make a note, the answer may not become clear right away. Still, you can separate what you saw while searching from what actually happened to you.
- My question moves at my own pace — When a sexual health question starts to feel as heavy as a calendar deadline, Haeon first looks at the facts and the uncertainties separately. What is the first thing you want to write down right now?
Stories by Haeon
- Haeon
- The conversation about contraception stays with you on the way home.
- A Weekend Plan Made in Silence
- After I read the word “normal,” it starts to feel like it’s about me.
- The night they returned from the funeral, they were moving at different speeds.
- After saying no at the celebration, I’m worried about seeing them again.
- After the funeral, it’s hard to talk about our boundaries again
- A weekend afternoon, wondering how to ask about affection
- I smile and say I’m fine when it comes to talking about my body.