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Survival Wasn’t Free — I Paid by Hiding What Hurt Just to Keep the Peace

AI-generated artwork for the blog post “Survival Wasn’t Free — I Paid by Hiding What Hurt Just to Keep the Peace” — created by Clove (author of Clove Thoughts) using Microsoft Bing Image Creator (DALL·E) and carefully refined in Canva. © 2025 Clove Thoughts. This AI-generated image, authorized solely for the creator’s commercial use in accordance with the terms set by Bing, Canva, and Blogger, captures the quiet emotional toll of forced gratitude — where silence is mistaken for peace, and the pressure to appear thankful gradually erodes self-worth. It portrays how unspoken truths are buried beneath the expectation to remain agreeable, leaving behind invisible wounds that persist long after. I was always told I should be grateful. I had access to the things many children were still dreaming of — the essentials for survival that are often mistaken for a full life. It was seen as more than enough. And maybe, from the outside, it looked like I had everything I needed. But the truth i...
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Every post on Clove Thoughts is gently organized using labels. These labels represent shared themes, feelings, or moments that connect different writings.

You’ll find labels in the sidebar or listed beneath each post. Clicking on one will bring you to a page where all posts under that label are collected together.

This makes it easier to explore more around a certain topic, emotion, or experience — without needing to look through the entire blog.

Whether you're revisiting something meaningful or following a thread that speaks to your current mood, labels help guide your reading quietly and naturally.

Let them lead you where you need to go, at your own pace. I’m glad you’re here.

– Clove

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