Letting Go of the Middle

There was a time when I believed it was my responsibility to hold everything together.

To smooth the conversations.
To bridge the gaps.
To carry the emotional weight so others wouldn’t have to.

Somewhere along the way, I became the middle — the messenger, the translator, the buffer. Not because it was asked of me directly, but because silence felt heavier than stepping in.

But this week, I chose something different.

I didn’t argue.
I didn’t explain.
I didn’t defend myself against a narrative that quietly implied responsibility where none belonged.

Instead, I stepped back.

I gave space for a relationship to exist without me managing it. I allowed agency where agency belongs. I trusted that connection doesn’t need a gatekeeper — only willingness.

And in that stillness, something important shifted.

Not responding wasn’t avoidance.
It wasn’t withholding.
It wasn’t control.

It was clarity.

I realized I don’t have to be the bridge anymore. I can lay the stones down and let others decide if they want to cross.

This is what growth looks like for me now — not louder boundaries, but quieter ones. Not explaining myself into exhaustion, but choosing peace over performance.

I’m learning that stepping out of the middle isn’t abandonment. It’s respect.
For myself.
For my child.
For relationships that deserve to stand on their own.

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is simply stop carrying what was never yours to hold.