An outsider's point of view is always handy. - Pat Oliphant. Collection of quotes on Outsider

Growing up, I never understood why family gatherings felt like navigating a minefield of unspoken emotions. There was always this underlying tension, a disconnect that made me feel like an outsider in my own family. I remember sitting at holiday dinners, watching the carefully constructed facades, feeling the weight of unresolved trauma and unexpressed pain. For years, I carried the silent hurt of not being truly seen or understood. The inner child in me longed for genuine connection, for…

Little Victoria Cerioli is only two but is already becoming a regular face in Strasbourg, joining mum Licia Ronzulli at work

Whatever spontaneous storm may come our way I plan on loving my wife. If you truly love someone (and they truly love you), commit to that love and plan on it being hard work.

I wish this was worded differently. Regardless, I really think this is very true. If I've learned anything in the last few years of marriage, it's that we can't be one big happy family. Nothing is harder than feeling like such an outsider in the same room that your husband and child are in. But, his family is not your family. Yes, you should still be nice, but don't ever get the idea that you're part of the famjam.

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Some people are lucky to have friends they've known for ages, and it works. It's not that I love being a terrible friend, I'm used to being by myself where I don't fear being judged.