The Bakers Adventures

It’s strange how a single word can carry so much and yet say so little.

“Fine” is the answer we give when the truth feels too messy to unpack in the middle of the school run, or in the queue at Tesco, or when a friend asks how we are but their eyes are already looking past us.

It’s the polite mask. The neat little bow we tie around our feelings so no one has to see the loose threads.

Sometimes “fine” means “I’m barely holding it together.”
Sometimes it means “I’m exhausted, but I don’t want to burden you.”
Sometimes it means “I actually feel okay… but I’m afraid to say it out loud in case it doesn’t last.”

We’ve all been there. Smiling, nodding, saying “I’m fine” while a thousand unspoken things rattle around inside us.

What I’ve realised is that “fine” keeps us safe, but it also keeps us lonely. It stops people from seeing the real us, from offering help, from sitting with us in the messy bits.

So maybe the bravest thing we can do is retire “fine” now and then. Replace it with something real.
“I’m tired but hopeful.”
“I’m overwhelmed.”
“I’m genuinely happy today.”

Because the people who love us don’t need us to be fine. They just need us to be honest.