(Because before judgment… there’s often a quiet reckoning.)

When we restarted our #Unshakable Alphabet series from the beginning, we promised you that ‘I’ would be a story. Not a quote, not a concept — but a real story, from real life, told with the honesty it demands.

 

Last week, in ‘H is for Healing’, we cracked open the door to transformation.

This week, we were tempted to race straight into J — to update you on the aftermath of the viral cat inheritance saga (and trust us, it gets even more bizarre). But before we get to that delicious mess, we owe ‘I’ its moment.

Because while the world was debating who deserved the estate, while hashtags flew and the neighbour’s cat soaked in accidental fame — two women, deeply connected by family, found themselves at war.

And neither of them was entirely wrong.

The Cousin: Conflicted And Still Furious

She spent months planning the party. It wasn’t just logistics — it was love. A milestone celebration for her son and her husband. A coming together of generations. A statement of joy.

And then came the wedding date bombshell. She was blindsided. The 88-year-old matriarch—her mother-in-law—had knowingly chosen that exact date and refused to budge.

It felt like sabotage.

So, the cousin drew a line. She didn’t attend the wedding. Her absence was a protest, a boundary, a signal that she mattered too.

But the night after the groom died — just two weeks later — the house felt quieter than usual. Her son’s voice echoed less. Her husband barely touched his food.

She lay awake thinking:

‘Did I make a point… or did I miss a moment I can never get back?’

She still believes she was justified.

But sometimes, even justified anger leaves a bruise.

The Widow: Tired of Explaining Herself

She said yes to the proposal after 40 years of estrangement. People whispered, judged, speculated. They called her desperate. Foolish.

But she knew what loneliness tastes like — bitter, long, slow. And when her ex-husband asked her to grow old with him, something in her thawed.

She didn’t ask for a fairytale. She just wanted comfort. Familiarity. A hand to hold at 2 a.m. when the world felt cruel.

The wedding date wasn’t a power move — not in her mind. She simply didn’t want to wait six more weeks. She’d waited four decades already.

And now? He’s gone.

The house is quiet.

And her daughter-in-law hasn’t spoken to her since.

She replays every conversation in her head. Wonders if she was selfish. Wonders if she should’ve compromised.

But then again, hadn’t she done enough compromising in her lifetime already?

 

Two Women. One Family. Zero Resolution

They haven’t spoken.

Each tells her own version of the story with conviction.

And each version sounds true — because it is, to the woman who lived it.

This is the uncomfortable power of introspection:

It doesn’t always lead to answers.

But it does peel back the layers — of pain, pride, and perception.

It reveals the part we played, not just what was done to us.

The #Unshakable truth?

Before judgment comes introspection.

Before resolution comes honesty — the kind we whisper to ourselves in the dark.

And maybe, just maybe, before closure… comes F.

You remember F is for Forgiveness, don’t you?

If not, they both might want to start there.

Because while they are different women with different stories, what they share is this: an ache to be understood.

And perhaps… the willingness to begin again.

Next up: J is for Judgment

(The cat story continues. And yes — it somehow gets wilder.)

‘See’ you next week.

#Unshakable

 

Sally Chiwuzie
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IG Handle: @unshakable.is.a.state.of.mind