Hey friends,
Picture this: You're at a writing conference, standing in a cafeteria line with your tray, and suddenly you're 13 years old again, terrified no one will let you sit with them. That was me at Cheryl Strayed's Wild Awakenings workshop, along with my new besties Amy and Kendra.
We spent the weekend obsessing over the wrong socks (mine were too short), questionable parking encounters (don't ask), and the universal fear of being cast out of the herd. Because apparently, no matter how accomplished we become, there's still that middle school girl inside wondering if she's cool enough.
Here's what I learned on my self-discovery journey: Sometimes the truth is "I forgot the right socks." But the truthier truth? I was terrified of being rejected. We all were. And that's exactly what made us find each other.
Amy showed up declaring she didn't need friends (spoiler: she was on our group chat within hours). Kendra was more worried about asking someone if she could sit with them than about the actual writing. And me? I managed to make a parking situation so awkward that the woman haunted me the entire weekend.
But here's the thing about building healthy relationships - they often start in our messiest moments. When we stop trying to be the cool girl and just admit we're sweating through our tank tops hiking up impossible hills, that's when real connection happens.
We discovered that female empowerment isn't just about being strong; it's about being brave enough to share your terrible first drafts with strangers and admitting you cried a little when you arrived.
The most vulnerable thing? Accepting that our ultimate creation is ourselves. And asking: is it good enough?
LYLAS
- S
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