In class or among friends, Lena often sits quietly, listening rather than participating. If someone is close to her, she would be more open in the conversation. Many people around her always think she is a gentle person and has something positive. But only she knows, she always has so many thoughts at the same time that she can’t even express them to anyone, no matter how close they are to her. She has gotten used to the pressure to the point that sometimes she doesn’t even realize it anymore. Many times, she gets into trouble with her own thoughts.

This personality was formed when she was young because her parents were very strict. They loved her, always had many expectations for her, so they taught her to be perfect, even in her studies, behavior, demeanor, and how she eats or talks to others. As a positive perspective, these are good things, but somehow created certain pressures on her and formed a habit of not wanting to share her thoughts, because she thought they wouldn’t listen to her, and especially she didn’t want them to feel disappointed. Many times, she thought her parents didn’t love her, which is why they forbade her. Lena is a girl who really understood what she had to do; she didn’t want to express her opinions because she felt that people might abandon her if she did something wrong. Therefore, she gradually became lazy about expressing her desires and was easily satisfied with everything around her. Always in her mind, the thought of having to do everything well comes to her. Silence doesn’t mean that she is empty; it is a place for her to think and try to figure out her thoughts.

Her parents didn’t realize this until much later, when she was in high school, after they witnessed all her stress and painful moments. Her parents tried to change, it seems quite late, but at least they understood her better and tried to improve the relationship.

Day by day, she has her own life, meets new people, and lives far from family. Lena has learned many life lessons. She is still a timid girl, but now she knows how to say no to someone, her limitations,… Over time, she began to realize that she was not as alone as she thought. She even gets more love than she thinks; her parents were just very expressive with their words, but they really care about her. It showed up in small, ordinary moments, in the way they supported her decisions without getting involved too much. She even met more people who can make her more open to sharing what she thinks or wants to do.

Maybe there was a little blip of a heartbeat. Everything currently for her has become perfect; she has never thought her life would be like this. She finally understood that she didn’t have to be perfect to be loved. She is still a timid girl, still thoughtful, still careful with her words. But now, she knows that growing up is not only about learning to pressure, but also about learning to accept love, and her achievements that have been there all along.