There Is More to the Story
September asks us to pay attention to something we don’t always see.
Behind the smile. Behind the successful career. Behind the relationship that looks fine from the outside. Behind the decision we don’t understand. There is often a story.
And your story is deserving of how you tell it, display it and share it.
This month, as we recognize Suicide Prevention Month, we are reminded that people can carry enormous pain quietly. Sometimes the people who need support most are the ones who have become very good at appearing as though they are okay.
And sometimes, pain doesn’t look like sadness.
It can look like exhaustion. Anger. Withdrawal. Overworking. Staying in places that hurt. Making choices we later wish we could change. Or simply trying to get through one more day.
Our recent Let’s Circle Back conversations have explored some of the circumstances that can shape those choices — poverty, sexual abuse, trauma, and the complicated decisions people may make when they are navigating circumstances they never should have had to face in the first place.
These conversations have reminded me of something important:
A choice can be worth understanding without being excused.
There is room for accountability and compassion.
There is room to acknowledge the impact of a decision while also asking, What happened to this person? What were they carrying? What did they believe their options were? What support was missing?
Understanding the story doesn't erase responsibility. It simply gives us a fuller picture. And perhaps that is one of the most important things we can offer one another — the willingness to look beyond what is immediately visible.
September is Suicide Prevention Month, but caring about someone’s well-being shouldn't belong to one month on the calendar. Learn to create safe spaces daily.
Sometimes prevention begins much earlier. It begins when we ask, “How are you really doing?” When we notice someone becoming quieter. When we make space for difficult conversations. When we listen without immediately trying to fix. When we remind someone that needing help is not a failure.
And sometimes it begins with allowing ourselves to be honest about our own story.
You don't have to have the whole thing figured out before you reach for support.
You don't have to minimize what happened because someone else has experienced something “worse.”
And you don't have to carry everything alone.
There is more to every story. Let's be willing to listen for it.
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