We say it all the time.
“Hey, how are you?”
“I’m fine.”
Sometimes it is true. Sometimes it is easier. Sometimes it is the only answer we know how to give without opening a door we do not have the energy to walk through.
Life gets heavy. There are seasons when the weight is more than we expected and we still try to carry it quietly. We do not want to burden anyone. We do not want to be the person who always has “a thing” going on. So we smile. We keep moving. We say we are fine.
But fine is not a feeling. Fine is a placeholder. It is what we say when we are not ready to say, “I am tired.” Or “I am worried.” Or “I do not know what to do next.”
What I have learned is that letting someone see past “fine” is not weakness. It is honesty. And honesty has a way of making room for help, connection, and relief.
We do not have to tell everyone everything. But maybe we can tell someone something.
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