Last week, one of my daughters came to me to say she had decided not to attend a party she was invited to. Before I had a chance to say, “Okay, great,” or even ask, “Why?”, she launched into a lengthy explanation of all the reasons why she wasn’t going. And there it was again—this almost reflexive need to validate our decisions with perfect logic, even when no one is questioning it.

“You’re so strong!”—I’ve been told this numerous times over the last several years as people I meet get to know me and learn about my life.

Emotional strength is an incredible quality to possess, and I’m grateful for the acknowledgement, but the truth is that strength didn’t show up at my doorstep when I was faced with challenging life circumstances.