HeyJaredperfume & letters
personal notes on growing up, slowing down, and finding beauty in ordinary days.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 11
- Latest publication
- Sep 26, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest issues
i find so much freedom in being nothing to nobody (opens the original)
Read excerpt
All our lives, we are taught to be something, to be someone, to do something that, in the end, shows who we are and proves something to someone. We are taught to constantly have something to show for ourselves, as if our existence needs to come with proof. And somehow, that proof is often measured by the appreciation we get from other people seeing who we are.“To be great is to be misunderstood.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/imag
there’s nothing anyone needs to know about me on a deeper level (opens the original)
Read excerpt
I believe in not giving explanations to people. I still think you can connect with people without knowing them entirely, and still be connected to society without knowing every social event or trend.You don't owe people your whole backstory. Someone can know you without knowing every reason behind who you became. You can tell someone what you like without telling them why. You can tell someone where you're going without explaining where you've been. Being understood isn't always the goal.Virgini
I can't keep everyone, but I can keep the memories (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Growing up means growing apart from people, places, versions of yourself, and sometimes even from paths you once thought you'd stay on forever. And growing apart isn't always someone's fault. Not everyone is meant to stay, but that doesn't mean they weren't meant to matter.Sometimes nobody did anything wrong. You simply become different people. Different priorities, lifestyles, values, interests. You can outgrow a friendship without either person being the villain. The distance happens so gradua
you are the seed, but also the gardener (opens the original)
Read excerpt
We all start there. We are all simply a seed. Before we knew who we were going to become, someone else was taking care of the garden. Our parents were our first gardeners. They chose the soil, gave us water, protected us from the weather, taught us how to stand, and tried, in their own way, to help us grow. But every gardener has their own way of gardening. Some are gentle. Some are impatient. Some know exactly what they're doing, while others are simply figuring it out as they go. Some accident
a big part of who i am is who i'm not anymore (opens the original)
Read excerpt
A big part of who I am is who I'm not anymore. I think that's one of the best ways to look at growth. We aren't just one person for our entire lives, we're a collection of versions of ourselves. The insecure version. The people-pleasing version. The one who begged to be chosen. The version that stayed quiet just to keep everyone else comfortable. Every version had a purpose. Every version got us here."The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." — Carl Roger
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.