Fuck. No one told me being an adult was like THIS. No one warned me or prepared me. I had no idea that people are so vapid and shallow. Those lifetime, childhood friends that you think care about you more than anyone? They donβt.
People love that youβre strong , capable, wise and intuitive until you call them out and try to hold them accountable for their bullshit. Then youβre too much or dramatic, no matter how gracefully you approached them.
Family falls apart. Parents get older and fade in ways you never thought they would. Life altering events can shatter your world, your family dynamic, in the span of seconds. A medical event. A tragedy. A loss. A separation. Sometimes even a text message.
This is everyoneβs first time doing life, I get it none of us are perfect or have a fucking clue what we are doing. This is my first time being an eldest daughter and even though Iβve been part of my family for my entire existence, things shift, evolve (albeit not always for the best), and the reality of everything just slipping through your fingers while you grasp desperately trying to hold it all together is ever present.
I never thought Iβd be here. An adult. A broken family that doesnβt know (or maybe care?) that itβs broken. Friends that are nonexistent. Friends that lash out at me because Iβm always the one thatβs forgiving. Theyβre stressed and donβt worry, βElissa will always understand that I didnβt mean to freak out on her.β
Not anymore. I canβt pretend any of it is ok anymore. Iβm standing up for myself. Iβm walking away. I make no excuses for being emotionally unavailable from here on out. Theyβve taken so much from me. Itβs time I give back to myself. Itβs time I cherish and honor who I am because no one else will.


















