Strong Enough?

I sit with the rawness of it all and wonder, what version of me will show up today? The overthinking empath, the chaotic overachiever, the exhausted realist, the blunt truth-teller? Or maybe all of them, taking turns before lunch. Honestly, it depends on the weather, who I encounter along the way and the triggers that show up.

There’s a brutal kind of beauty in songs that give us permission to be messy. Alanis Morissette captured it with “Isn’t it ironic… don’t you think?” Because yes, it is ironic that I can chase peace but create conflict, want connection but fear vulnerability, and doubt myself most when I'm trying my hardest.

Meredith Brooks gave us the ultimate contradiction with “I’m a bitch, I’m a lover, I’m a child, I’m a mother…” That line isn’t about roles. It’s about complexity. A reminder that I'm never just one thing. I'm a whole spectrum of emotion, experience and contradiction and that’s not only valid, but it’s also human.

Radiohead’s “I’m a creep… I’m a weirdo…” speaks to the aching truth I have held so close, for so long. I don’t belong here. Those moments when I question my worth, try to hide parts of myself that I have learned are "too different", or wonder if I'm just, simply too much or not enough, all at once.

Then there’s the question that lingers from Sheryl Crow’s lyric: “Are you strong enough to be my person?” (let’s modernise it). What she’s really asking isn’t about strength in a traditional sense, it’s about emotional resilience.

Can you hold space for me when I’m not easy to be around?

Can you sit with my contradictions, confusion and moods, without needing to fix them?

Can we show up for each other, even when we’re not showing up as our best selves?

It’s not about being anyone’s hero. It’s about being real. Staying present when someone’s spiralling. Listening without rushing to respond. Letting silence be safe instead of awkward. It’s about choosing to stay, not out of obligation, but because the connection matters.

And this isn’t just about romantic love. It applies to friendships, families, workplaces – anywhere we build trust and connection. Can I be strong enough to meet people where they are, not just where it’s comfortable?

Strength, it turns out, isn’t about certainty or solutions. It’s about presence. It’s choosing to stay when things get messy. It’s honouring someone’s complexity without needing them to shrink or simplify.

So, if the question is, “Are you strong enough?” maybe the real answer lies in being open enough. Brave enough. Willing enough.

Not to fix. Just to show up. Fully. Consistently. Honestly. Without any hidden agendas.

For anyone who’s learning that the strongest relationships aren’t built on perfection, but on showing up with your whole self and being met there.