Thank You for Being Here
A note to the people helping build this space
As June begins, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you.
Not for clicks.
Not for subscriptions.
Not for numbers on a dashboard.
For trust.
Every paid subscription represents a person who decided these conversations were worth supporting.
Conversations about progress.
Health.
Identity.
Comparison.
Resilience.
And the often uncomfortable middle parts of life.
I don’t take that lightly.
The truth is that The Messy Middle is still growing.
Some ideas arrive quickly.
Others take weeks before I understand what I’m actually trying to say.
And sometimes the challenge isn’t finding the words.
It’s being willing to share them before everything feels finished.
Because if you’ve spent enough years believing you need certainty before you speak, showing up imperfectly can feel surprisingly vulnerable.
What keeps me showing up is knowing there are people on the other side of the screen who understand that life is rarely as neat as the internet makes it seem.
Most of us are not living in a before picture or an after picture.
We’re living somewhere in between.
We’re adjusting.
We’re trying again.
We’re learning.
We’re figuring things out while we’re already in the middle of them.
That’s the work that interests me.
That’s the conversation I want to keep having.
Your support makes it possible to build this space thoughtfully instead of chasing whatever happens to be loudest this week.
It creates room for slower conversations.
More honest conversations.
The kinds of conversations that don’t always fit neatly into an algorithm but often matter the most.
One of the gifts your support provides is time.
Time to think more carefully.
Time to write more honestly.
Time to stay with questions that don’t have quick answers.
And time to explore ideas more deeply than the internet usually rewards.
I am genuinely grateful for that.
As I get ready to celebrate another birthday on June 7, I find myself feeling grateful for something else too.
Not because everything is figured out.
Not because I’ve arrived somewhere.
But because this space exists.
Because these conversations exist.
Because there are people willing to show up honestly and spend time in the messy middle of things together.
I also want you to know that this isn’t meant to be a one-way relationship.
If a post resonates with you, tell me.
If a topic keeps showing up in your life, let me know.
If there’s something you’re wrestling with that you’d like to see explored here, reach out.
I can’t promise I’ll have answers.
But I can promise I’ll listen.
Some of the best reflections in this space have started because someone was willing to say:
“I’ve been thinking about this lately.”
As we move into June, my hope is simple.
That this space continues to feel honest.
That it continues to feel human.
And that whenever life feels particularly messy, you remember you’re not the only one trying to make sense of it.
Thank you for helping create a place where I can show up honestly.
A place where I don’t have to pretend I have everything figured out.
A place where I can share what I’m learning, what I’m wrestling with, and what I’m beginning to understand about health, growth, and being human.
A place where I can offer the support I once needed myself.
That gift means more to me than you probably realize.
I’m glad you’re here.
A Small Invitation
Before you leave today, take a moment to notice one thing you’ve handled this year that would have overwhelmed a previous version of yourself.
No announcement required.
No gold star necessary.
Just notice it.
Sometimes that’s enough.
Happy Birthday month, Dariam! And thank you for sharing your thoughts with us- I continue to be encouraged.
Believe it or not, telling people that I’ve lost up to 60 pounds and it being true would have overwhelmed me in the past. I would have done something to mess it up. I would have spiraled down to excess and self loathing. It has now gotten easier for me to choose joy and self worth. Thank you Darium for your refreshing honesty and insight.