The cursor blinks, eager to add color to the blank slate of this word document—to breathe life into my thoughts. But I’m afraid I bear disappointing news: I’ve had nothing to say. I’ve left the cursor salivating like a dog waiting for the tennis ball to launch.

I started this blog with intention—though perhaps ‘assumption’ is a more fitting word now. I believed I had something meaningful to share, something that others would want to hear. Understories would serve as the fertile ground where my deep-rooted ideas could bud, blossom, and be shared with the world.

But if I’m being honest, I’ve been hiding from Understories. Am I battling an inferiority complex? Maybe. Unmotivated to confront lofty ideas? Possibly. Suffocating under the pressure of perfection? Definitely. Whatever label I attach to my excuse for not writing, they all lead to one realization: I didn’t create this space for myself like I should have.

So, maybe it’s time to hit the brakes on this already-stopped car and change course. To reclaim this space to find my voice. To push against the tide of what I think is expected of me. Maybe Understories can instead be my garden to tend and grow a dialogue with myself on what I believe is good, moral, and innate.

The longer I sit in stagnation, avoiding textured thought and tangible action, the deeper I sink into the quicksand of complacency. And complacency is a dangerous place to stay.

Don’t worry—I’m not veering into conspiracy theories or political tirades. Instead, I should be using this gift to engage more deeply with what truly matters to me (the future of our planet and its biodiversity, the rights of people, ecosystems, and resources, our connection to nature, the knowing that love is love is love is love, the need to be kind and ethical to all species. I could go on…).

I’ve always wondered what superpower I’d choose if I could have one. Right now, I think it would be knowing exactly how to say what I mean. It’s a tall order, isn’t it? Finding the right next step (or in my case, the right next words) toward purpose when society constantly tells us: Change the world or fail. Do something grand or fail. Have something worth saying or fail. But maybe it’s not about grand gestures or flawless ideas. Maybe it’s about finding our voices to connect more deeply with ourselves—and with others. Perhaps that’s why the idea for Understories came to me in the first place: to find my superpower.

Words are powerful. Choices carry weight. Actions are essential. Even when I feel there’s nothing to say, deep down, I know it’s still important to show up. To write until the words find us. Because the world becomes a much scarier place when no one speaks.

As Malala Yousafzai once said, “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”

Until next time.

Xo, M