When I first started learning English,

There were many words that felt impossible to say.

But one, in particular, stayed with me:

Squirrel.

Not because of its meaning…

but because of how it felt in my mouth.

In Spanish, we don’t have words beginning with “S” like that.

So saying squirrel felt unnatural,

almost like my tongue didn’t know where to begin.

Like many language learners,

I avoided it.

I found other ways.

Other words.

Easier paths.

Have you thought that maybe… we do the same in life.

Because sometimes,

It's not just words in another language that are hard to say.

Sometimes, it’s the words tied to our deepest emotions.

I have a dear friend whose son died in a tragic accident…

and for her, saying his name is a challenge.

Because when she speaks it,

she’s not just saying a name,

she’s stepping into memories…

memories filled with love, but also pain.

There are words we can barely whisper

because they carry emotions too heavy to hold.

A phrase like “I lost my job…”

or “I lost my home…”

that feels too real when spoken out loud.

A number…a date…a memory…

that takes us back to places we are not sure we are ready to revisit.

We all have a “squirrel.”

A word, a phrase, a moment

we try to go around instead of through.

But today, I want to gently invite you,

not to avoid it,

but to face it.

To say it.

To sit with it.

To embrace not just the challenge…

but the moment it carries.

Because life will always place difficult words in our path.

But courage?

Courage is always available.

Say it anyway, because courage often begins with one trembling word.