For so long, we've been told that needing a man is weakness. That asking for help is shameful. That loving deeply, devotedly, with all your heart is "losing yourself." I looked at this and thought: where is there room for true warmth in this concept? Where is there room for simply coming home and feeling protected?

I tried to play by these rules. Keep my distance. Appear self-sufficient. Don't show how much the person next to me matters.

It was unbearably boring 😅

BECAUSE I DON'T NEED ARMOR. I need arms that make me feel like myself. I don't need "independence for independence's sake" – I need a connection that gives me strength, not takes it.

I want to care. I want to invest. I want my man to know every morning that he's the most important thing in my life. This isn't weakness. This is the real me 💗

I think many women feel the same way—they're just afraid to admit it. They're afraid of being judged, called "outdated," or told they haven't "grown up."

But I've grown to understand this very thing 🥺