13/07/2025
𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬: 𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
WHEN THE BELL RINGS QUIET: RESET AND REFLECT
When the bell rings quiet, and the trace of summer heat seeps into a memory - I recall someone once saying, "We are not everyone's cup of tea, and that's okay".
And at that exact moment, everything somehow fell into place.
For so long, I have held onto the perspective that when people dislike me, despite all of my best intentions- it was completely my fault.
I did something wrong.
I said something out of place.
I was probably too shy and awkward.
I always manage to justify their rude behavior by thinking of something I could have done to make them act that way.
But this summer, with the sun high and the waves quietly humming in the background, I began to see things in a different light. I realized just how much I had tolerated all the disrespect and quiet cruelty through the years just so I do not have to lose people.
Because I thought staying silent and avoiding confrontation would mean I get to keep my own peace.
But peace isn’t silence—it’s safety.
It’s self-respect.
Through time, I have come to realize that those people not only did that because I am not their cup of tea- and WILL NEVER BE, but also due to the fact that I give them power to do that to me.
I allowed their words to occupy a space in my mind. I let it define who I am.
And that is one of the biggest things I have to come to terms with this summer.
It took a few incidents of unfairness and sharp words - that I finally dusted myself off the floor, stood up and managed to say, "No more."
Because if I don't speak up for myself, then who will?
That’s when I began drawing my boundaries in the sand.
The first sign of disrespect.
Offensive comments disguised as jokes.
The casual rudeness they justified with a bad mood.
I stopped shrinking myself to preserve someone else’s comfort. I stopped feeling guilty for walking away and having to cut people off.
Because now I know: it was never my fault.
Instead, I reserve spaces for the ones who truly appreciate me for who I am. Those who meet me with kindness. Those who affirm me of my worth as an individual. Those who make life a whole lot easier and better.
So as the golden days stretch long and wide, and that familiar heat kisses your skin, I hope you, too, find someone who will remind you: “We are not everyone’s cup of tea”—and maybe, just maybe, that will set you free.
And this time, when the bell rings quiet - that will be the beginning of your own summer too.
via Lovely Joyce Amor // TWH
Cartoon by Ju Sabrina Paclipan // TWH
