📓 Monday, May 11, 2026 — 9:07 p.m.
I’m sitting here watching the Lakers about to get eliminated by OKC.
Possibly LeBron’s last game as a Laker.
Beat It by Michael Jackson playing in my ears.
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Today was long.
Yesterday too.
Mother’s Day.
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My mom wanted us to go eat breakfast together at IHOP.
As a family.
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So I rushed to do an early delivery around 8:30 in the morning.
Trying to make it work.
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Then the friction started.
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“Dad doesn’t want to go.”
Over and over.
Like a speaker stuck on repeat.
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My mom tells me:
“Your dad is in his room.”
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I walk in.
He’s sitting at the edge of the bed.
Quiet.
Looking like he’d either been crying…
or trying not to.
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Long story there.
Too long for this post.
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But I wanted us to have one good moment together.
So I got him up.
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The whole drive there…
my sister kept saying everything was ruined.
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We get to IHOP.
Packed.
Long line.
Everybody had the same idea.
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So I tell my parents:
“Let’s go somewhere else.”
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And then…
the spiral starts.
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“I don’t feel good.”
“I don’t feel good.”
“You guys go without me.”
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I could see it happening in real time.
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The friction.
The loss of control.
The loop.
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“Just calm down. Everything’s fine.”
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But there was no getting through.
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And honestly…
I’ve seen this movie my whole life.
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So I made a choice.
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Not anger.
Not yelling.
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I just walked home.
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Because growing up in a volatile environment teaches you something eventually.
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Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do…
is walk away from the echo chamber.
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Love can still exist.
But it no longer gets to take your peace with it.
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As I was walking home…
calm…
not really thinking about anything…
just happy to be alive for a moment…
my phone rings.
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“Roberto, where are you?”
It’s my dad.
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“I’m in your car. I’ll pick you up. Let’s go eat.”
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So we ended up eating at IHOP after all.
Just without my sister.
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And honestly…
it was peaceful.
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We got home and immediately heard:
“I wasn’t feeling good. I wasn’t feeling good.”
The echo chamber again.
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But life is beautiful enough…
that I’d rather start noticing the peaceful moments more.
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💬 Reader question
Have you ever had to love someone… while also protecting your own peace?
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If this felt real… I write moments like this.
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