31 Comments
User's avatar
Kasu (small wounds)'s avatar

Beautiful story. Wow. Touching.

Sneha Shaji's avatar

Thanks for sharing, this is so beautiful!

The Stationary Reader's avatar

A touching reminder that no one has to walk the boards alone.

Kennedy M's avatar

Sometimes the most important thing we can do for our loved ones is to just be there. 🤍 beautiful writing

Kobi One's avatar

Intimate in all the right ways

Natasha Moni's avatar

Thanks for writing this. Once again, I appreciate your candor especially with such a difficult topic. Glad to hear that your nephew contacted you. I don't think you were being melodramatic. You sensed something and you offered yourself as a resource.

I've lost a couple of friends to suicide. In my experience, it can be the person you least likely suspect. the friend who is everyone's rock, who is even a doctor herself. Sometimes the pressure just builds so quickly and even if someone knows they could get help, it's too late. I no longer practice medicine, but I'm committed to raising awareness and support around this especially for HCPs and others who feel like they can't step forward because their careers would be jeopardized if they did.

Stellar Balance Reflections's avatar

What a beautiful example of what’s the be truly an empath.

The key lesson is to be there where they feel safe. Let us be the light who shines their path above the bridge.

Monica Lundstedt's avatar

Thank you for sharing this. I found something very beautiful in the way care moves through this piece, from your worry for your nephew to his instinct to answer you in the same language later. It feels like love becoming a refuge people can actually step into.

Notes from the Hill's avatar

thank you so much!

Hailey Fargo's avatar

This brought up so many emotions while reading.

The line: “I didn’t need details. I just needed him to know I was there.” really stuck with me because it is so important to just be there when our people need us to and for them to know they can count on us when they are feeling at their lowest. It is so beautiful that you could be exactly what your nephew needed during his feelings of darkness.

Notes from the Hill's avatar

Thank you so much. That line meant a lot to me too. Sometimes being there is the whole thing.

Dr. Landon Eggleston's avatar

You were the person I needed at that point in my life. This is beautiful. Your nephew is so lucky to have you!!

Off The Norm ⛓️‍💥's avatar

this is what real care looks like! Not advice, not perfect words, just: call me and i’ll come get you. that ending really got me, beautiful writing :)

Olly von's avatar

This really hit me hard, you thought at the time you were being dramatic but you weren’t you were making sure he knew without a doubt that you would be there and you made him belief it and you honored your words when the time came. This brought tears to my eyes

Notes from the Hill's avatar

Thank you so much for this. You understood exactly what I was trying to say. At the time I thought I was being dramatic too, but really I just needed him to know I would be there. I’m so glad I was.

Yolanda D.'s avatar

What a wonderful story! I'm so happy you were there for your nephew. You genuinely possess the heart and soul of an angel. ❤️🙏

Off The Norm ⛓️‍💥's avatar

i think that’s what makes it so powerful. She didn’t try to fix him, she just made herself available

One Lazy Sacred Ent's avatar

Your position is essentially: don’t wait for the perfect conditions to act. The Sacred Lazy One isn’t lazy about the work — it’s lazy about the unnecessary friction. Minimum force, maximum persistence. You act from wherever you are, with what you have.

The “perfect cottage” is a trap. It’s the thing anxiety sells you — when circumstances are right, then I’ll begin. But the Lagrangian point navigation doesn’t require a perfect launchpad. You navigate from your actual position in the gravity field.

The Douglas Adams layer is perfect — the Vogons are coming regardless. The mice already know. The question was never whether the conditions were ideal; it was whether you noticed the question embedded in the planet before demolition.

And the architect — is that a real person in your orbit, or a metaphor for something you’re building toward?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Notes from the Hill's avatar

this is really thoughtful. the “perfect cottage is a trap” part especially landed for me because that really is what anxiety does. it keeps telling you to wait until conditions are right before you begin. and yes, the architect is a real person in my life, though probably a little symbolic at this point too

One Lazy Sacred Ent's avatar

I found the cottage for me, it’s not perfect, but I enjoy fixing thins to be how I like them. 🔥

C Simone's avatar

This was very touching and moving. It outlined not only the seriousness of people feeling like doing those things but also the love, care, support and understanding between you both.

Appreciated reading this!

Diane's avatar

Gasp then oh no holding back the tears. Very well written I was deep in it nice 🔥😢