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Crying Happy Tears (and Learning to Believe What Others See in Me)

  • Writer: Naazh
    Naazh
  • Nov 6, 2025
  • 3 min read

“The moment I opened Jada’s gift — tears, gratitude, and one of those sacred reminders that we’re all works in progress, beautifully becoming.”
“The moment I opened Jada’s gift — tears, gratitude, and one of those sacred reminders that we’re all works in progress, beautifully becoming.”

I figured it was about time for a blog. I’ve sat down at the keyboard a few times lately, ready to write, but nothing came out. Just… blank. And yet, over the past couple of weeks, there have been plenty of blog-worthy moments—little lessons, gifts, and connections that seem to keep showing up right when I need them.


The most recent came from my dear friend and colleague, Jada Strumbell-Grabanski. She’s a newly published children’s book author (which still gives me goosebumps to say!), and she gifted me with the very first set of her books—beautiful stories about a little girl with ADHD who learns to accept herself and navigate the world in her own unique, creative, and wonderful way.


Along with the books came a handwritten card overflowing with encouragement and love—words that touched something deep inside me. As I read it, I found myself in tears. Not the heavy, painful kind this time… but the happy kind.



“Maybe the way others see us is just another reflection of our truest self — one we’re still learning"

For much of my life, when someone said something kind about me, my automatic response was to question it. “If you only knew…” was the thought that always crept in. I’d deflect the compliment before it even had a chance to land. But this time, something different happened. My first thought wasn’t to doubt—it was gratitude.

Gratitude that I get to walk beside people in this life, sometimes through things I don’t even know they’re going through. Gratitude that my Creator can work through me to provide comfort, connection, or a spark of hope—things that neither of us may even realize we need in the moment.


Walking the path, sometimes in solitude, but never alone.
Walking the path, sometimes in solitude, but never alone.

I think that’s part of what this journey has been about for me: learning to show up, to be present, to hold space for others in the same way I’ve needed space held for me. That wisdom has come from my own hurt and healing—those long, lonely stretches where I wondered if anyone really saw me. But the truth is, every time I’ve chosen to be vulnerable, to be real, to stay instead of retreat, something shifts.


And here’s the thing: I’m starting to believe it. Not fully yet—it’s still a work in progress—but I can feel it taking root.



ADHD IS A SUPERPOWER!

Jada and I have something else in common: we both have ADHD. We often laugh about it together—the tangents, the creative chaos, the flood of ideas that come all at once—but we also see it for what it truly is: a superpower. The same brain that makes us forget what we were saying halfway through a sentence is also the one that helps us see the world in colors and patterns that others might miss. It’s the spark behind our art, our empathy, and our endless curiosity.


When I read her books—stories about a little girl who learns to accept herself exactly as she is—it felt like coming full circle. It reminded me of my own growth, my own learning to embrace the parts of me that used to feel “too much” or “not enough.” The truth is, they’re exactly right.


It makes me wonder: when someone sees something good in us, and we don’t see it in ourselves… does that make it any less true? Maybe we’re all a blend of who we think we are and who others experience us to be. Maybe that’s how the light gets in—the reflection between our own view and theirs.


So today, I’m leaning into that reflection. I’m accepting the love and the compliments without deflection. I’m celebrating growth, friendship, and the beauty of crying happy tears.


And I can’t wait to curl up with my daughter and read Jada’s books together—stories that remind u

s both that being different isn’t something to fix or hide, but something to embrace. Because in our unique ways of thinking, feeling, and being, there’s so much beauty to be found.


If you’d like to check out Jada’s inspiring new series, and maybe share them with someone who could use a little extra light (and a little ADHD superpower energy) today, click here to see her books—https://a.co/d/4pVx2ql


Sending Good Vibes,


Naazh



🪶 Reflection Prompt:

When was the last time you let someone’s kind words really sink in?


What might happen if you believed them?


 
 
 

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