If You Tell a Lie

by Lucinda Berry

You couldn’t stay stuck in trauma forever. That’s what my mom made me promise when she died: “Don’t you dare use this as a reason to throw your life away, Thera. You hear me?”

I

shot my inner child a long time ago, along with the white horse she was waiting for someone to come riding in on to save her.

The best way to live your life was to learn to love yourself—really, truly love yourself—and accept yourself exactly as you were.

you know how much work it takes to pretend like you’re fine every day? To be the sunshine when you’re really the darkness?