Don't Fix Me, Just Find Me | Writing Prompt #16

Sometimes you don't need a savior, just a witness

We’ve all been there. Life throws us a challenge, and we’re spiraling. Sometimes, the challenge is a minor nuisance. Other times, it’s a huge life-shaping event that takes us for a ride. And when we turn to family and friends, so much of the time, they offer us suggestions instead of a hug, advice instead of empathy.

We know what it feels like when people try to fix our problems instead of simply listening and saying, “Yeah, that sounds really hard.” And yet, when we meet someone who’s having their own troubles, we genuinely want to help. We care about them, and we want them to not be struggling. So, we shift into problem-solving mode: Have you tried…? What about…? Just do this!

I wrote about my own urge to fix (and my resistance to being fixed) in my newsletter on Monday.

---

---

Thanks for reading this free preview! Each Monday, I post free-to-read stories about my “wild and precious life.” On Friday, I invite my paid subscribers to share their own wild and precious stories with a writing prompt. If you’re one of my subscriber heroes, scroll down for your weekly invitation to get creative.

If you’d like to support real human creativity (drop a fiver, feed an artist — it’s a whole thing!), consider joining me for just $5 a month. Your subscription fuels my creative fire while keeping the lights on in my humble home.

With hope and love,

Karen