I nearly said what I really meant

Dear Delyara, I had a moment today where the honest sentence came right to the front of my mouth. And then I changed it. I softened it. Rounded it off. Made it easier to receive. More socially acceptable. Less likely to disturb the room. Less likely to make me look emotional, difficult, or too affected. Afterward I felt that familiar disappointment in myself — not because I lied exactly, but because I reduced the truth until it fit more comfortably for everyone else. I’m tired of doing that. And apparently not yet tired enough to stop every time.