It shouldn't have happened. But it did.

the other day
a friend said to me
that thing shouldn’t
have happened to you

and it did

full stop

there was something
eerily profound
about hearing a
trusted human
name my heartbreak
out loud

and

acknowledging
that it really did
happen

no fighting reality
no brushing aside pain
no explaining why

just simple acceptance
that it really did happen
and it shouldn’t have

— gratitude

Gifts for You

• Where in your life have you experienced something that “shouldn’t have happened”… and how have you learned to explain it away rather than simply name it?
• What shifts in your body or spirit when you let yourself say, “that really did happen” — without adding justification, minimization, or meaning?
• Who has been a witness to your pain in a way that felt true? What made their presence or words different from others?
• What might become possible if you allowed both truths to coexist: “this shouldn’t have happened” and “it did”?