There are some #ShowMeYourBrave stories that crush my chest and replay like a broken record in the back of my mind, day after day. This is one of those stories.

May the courage it took to submit this story bolster the writer and give the strength needed to see that life isn’t really being lived when it’s lived this way.

I wish this brave person the courage to leave. I really do.

Be brave and go.

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I’m currently married to a man I dislike and I masquerade around like the sun shines out his ass. I’m raising my children to think that we have a strong and healthy relationship so they will know what that is. My parents hated each other growing up and I don’t want my children to see and hear what I did growing up.

I have miscarried a desperately wanted baby and moved on. I have scuba dived, sky dived, white water rafted, travelled Africa, all of Canada and in my experience, a split second decision like skydiving for a 10 minute thrill is nothing compared to the every day reminder that I am going to see this through for my children until their father and I no longer have to depend on each other financially and I can create the best case situation to “consciously uncouple”.

And now I’m typing this, so this is really Brave for me. So there.

The #ShowMeYourBrave Project asks people, “What’s the bravest, scariest, or most intimidating thing you’ve ever done?”. The idea of the project is to share stories of everyday bravery and human resilience to bring us closer together. In sharing, we not only find our voices, but we find support, allies, and others who have faced similar challenges. If you would like to submit your story, we would love to feature your bravery here.