Evil Eye

by Etaf Rum

Shouldn’t she have known by now to depend on no one? Not a parent, not a brother, not a husband. That no one would soothe the pain in your heart. No one will rescue you.

Words simplified situations and emotions, robbed them of their complexity.

Silence was better than being misunderstood, erased, unseen for who you really were.

in order for me to help you, we need to talk about the past, even if it feels unrelated to the present.”

People ruin beautiful things.

The entire world must be cursed, she thought, to spend so much of our days walking around with our eyes glued to a device that only left us feeling more alone.

“Family relationships can be very complex,” he continued. “Even the best of them can leave scars on the ones they love, and they have a powerful influence on who you are as an adult.”

Weren’t they just waiting to enjoy life? Why not now, in these precious present moments?

“There is no hierarchy of pain when it comes to traumatic experiences,”

“We talk a lot about the importance of forgiving people who hurt us, but we hear a lot less about how to forgive ourselves, which is just as important—if not more so.”

you can learn to replace the mental voice that has been a source of worry and distraction with one that is rooted in love and compassion for yourself.

To surrender to the vulnerability of love and allow ourselves to be loved by others—isn’t that the most courageous act of all?