'Dialogues Unfolded'

  “ Here I am, surrounded by words—books I read in a day, essays I ace with minimal effort—yet I find it so hard to put together a complete sentence when it comes to something real. Maybe it's the fear. I fear that if I open this box, the words that come out will be a mess, a reflection of the chaos I call home. See, my family is a paradox of loud silences and explosive outbursts. We communicate in a language of slammed doors and mumbled words. My attempts to have a normal conversation, to share my day or a thought, are usually met with dismissive grunts or remarks that cut the conversation short. It's not that we don't love each other, I guess. We just don't know how to show it healthily. Affection is a foreign language, replaced by a tense standoff where everyone walks on eggshells, waiting for the next blowup. This constant state of hypervigilance is now into every aspect of my life. I find myself holding back, not just with my family, but with everyone.  Friends try...