Oct 26, 2025: the lie of shame
Another day, another dawn! Happy Sunday, happiness crusaders! 💖
A few important things have happened this past week (and will trickle into the coming week) that, of course, have shifted my perspective on a lot. I’ve been so grateful to be back in Georgia, reconnecting with a few friends from my past, and getting in touch with the special parts about me that make me… me. Without those friends and experiences, I’m not who I am today. This is my public thank you.
Thank you for showing me who I am, what I love, what I deserve.
Thank you for showing me who I’m not, what I detest, what I don’t deserve.
Some experiences have left a bitter taste in my mouth due to my own vices. There’s plenty I’ve let disrupt and interrupt my joy. I depended too much on the external validation from others and have failed time and time again to see my own worth. I carry that shame with me. I carried it with me during my cancer diagnosis, my usage with cannabis (I’m currently 10 days free!) and other certain aspects of my life.
I have a friend (whose name will remain anonymous) who recently shared some of their shame with me privately. Like I’ve mentioned before, grief changes us as humans. We lean into some dangerous vices that we eventually see as self-infliction and damaging to ourselves. They’ve recently asked me to support them in their journey beginning AA and start going to church. As a human in my current stance, I was honored to be presented this truth and am very proud of my friend for acknowledging their own actions and wanting to do something about it.
In short, we all believe others are living their version of a fairytale life while you’re suffering in your own horror movie. Truth is, we’re all struggling with something. We all carry some form of shame for something we’ve said or done. None of us are proud of it, but you should never allow the shame to paralyze the power of your testimony.
This past week, I’ve also been thinking about podcast ideas. I would like to open the forum to ask me any questions you might have for me. I’m hoping to bring light to some situations and a perspective to show that things do get better.
You can ask me questions here:
https://forms.gle/tMfuycnfAnpLMhkW9
Until next week, here’s three things today that make me happy:
Cuddly doggies, my hoodies I can wear in this colder weather, the remote start on my Jeep.
Celebrate what makes you happy always,
Jenna/Starshine ✨
