“There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.” –Hannah Gadsby

My Interpretation: Ivy may speak in quiet tones. But she is building a life louder than her past. & I can already tell – she is going to be a force. It is in the words unsaid, the tenderness in silence, the I understands, the hidden demons behind the eyes – but the growth & resilience is there nonetheless.

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🌿 Ivy

The newest anchor.
Quiet. Steady. Curious.
We are building something soft-with room for all the parts of us we have never said out loud.

Most of our connection has been virtual.
Is that strange?
Maybe.
But it has always been that way between us- & somehow, it has worked.
Beautifully.

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We met through her ex.
Let us call him Nero.
He was a coworker. Took my forced overtime shifts. Looked great on paper – like most men do in the beginning.
But the best thing he ever did?
Was introduce me to her.

First time we met in person was a walking trail hangout – me, (the unnamed woman from Wren’s story), Nero, & Ivy.
Then I saw her again while she was working at the local restaurant.
She smiled like someone who meant it.
& we never really lost contact after that.

Things did not last with Nero.
& thank the gods for that.
Because the man she is with now?
Coincidentally named Rowan (I KNOW)-is everything Nero was not.
They have got a daughter now. A life.
A story that still has its storms, sure.
But she has found her person.
& that matters.

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Ivy is younger than me.
But she is not naive.
You can always tell when someone has lived through more than they will admit.
She talks about it in quiet fragments, then changes the subject.
But I hear it.
I feel it.
She does not need to explain it all for me to know it shaped her.

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What I admire most?
Her patience.
The kind that cannot be taught.
The kind that only comes from breaking, healing, breaking again – & choosing to heal anyway.

She takes advice like someone who knows it is not weakness.
She absorbs it.
Applies it.
Strengthens herself with it – then turns around & makes her life softer.
Safer.
Stronger.

We have started a group chat – me, Ivy, & Wren.
Books. Motherhood. Mental health.
It works.
Not just because we vibe but because we understand how much pain it takes to show up consistently.
To stay kind.
To keep choosing joy anyway.

Ivy reminds me that trauma does not disqualify you from tenderness.
That you can be healing and helpful.
That gentleness is not weakness.
It is fucking discipline.

& I do not have to prove anything to her.
I can just be.

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So, here is to you Ivy – may you always be free spirited, bold, kind-hearted, courageous, & forever growing in the wind.

Xoxo ♡