That Wasn’t in the Manual

There are a lot of things I’ve learned that weren’t in any manual.

How to hold your breath during someone else’s bad news. How to apologize without rushing it. How to act like you know what you’re doing long enough to actually figure it out.

None of those came with instructions. No labeled diagrams. No troubleshooting section in the back.

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Most of what’s saved me—emotionally, relationally, occasionally mechanically—was discovered through sheer cluelessness and caffeine. A raised eyebrow. A well-timed Google search. An awkward conversation I didn't want to have but knew I needed to. That’s the real curriculum.

Have you ever learned something essential only because everything else failed first?

There’s no user guide for how to get your tone right when you’re tired. No flowchart for which truth to tell when both are half-right. No neatly formatted guide for when to let go and when to dig in.

But here I am—held together by duct tape wisdom and the kind of life hacks you write on sticky notes after a long day. And somehow, I’m still learning.

It wasn’t in the manual. But it was still worth knowing.

—Everett

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