Untethered Mini Presents Nina Sharpe

Things I Don’t Say Out Loud

By Nina Sharpe

Entry One: Peace Made Me Lonely

I don’t answer my phone much these days.

Not because I’m too busy — I’m not.

I just don’t want to let noise in.

Peace doesn’t come with a bang.

It’s slow. Quiet.

Sometimes boring.

But after years of calling chaos “passion,”

boring feels like safety.

And still... it’s lonely.

Not in the “I miss people” way —

in the “I outgrew people” way.

In the “I can’t unsee what I’ve healed from” way.

I don’t know how to be in the world right now.

I crave softness, but flinch when it shows up.

I want love, but I’m scared of anything that moves too fast or talks too pretty.

My peace cost me my patterns.

It cost me the version of me that made others comfortable.

Now I keep things quiet because I’ve finally found quiet inside myself.

And I’m not willing to give that up — not even for love.

So yeah, my phone is dry.

My bed is empty.

And my heart?

Still recovering.

But this loneliness isn’t punishment.

It’s proof that I’ve changed.

And maybe…

that’s enough for now.