About this quote

This is about the small deaths you feel while watching someone you love build a life you’re not part of. That slow, grinding hurt is real and it eats at your days. Decide what you will accept and what you won't, then take a clear step toward that boundary. Say how you feel, protect your time, or walk away—do something that stops you from disappearing into silence.

When to use it

• At my sister's wedding, I whispered to my friend, "How am I supposed to stand here while he walks in with someone else?"
• In the office kitchen after he got promoted and started dating a coworker, I said under my breath, "So I'm supposed to watch him build his life without me?"
• At graduation, watching my college crush take photos with someone new, I kept thinking I'd shrink a little every day staying silent.
• After my training partner moved to another club and started a relationship, I told my coach, "How am I meant to cheer when everything we had just disappears?"