Now WP, this is one daily prompt, I couldn’t resist!
If I could ban one word from the human vocabulary forever, it would be “should.”
Not because it’s offensive.
Not because it’s rude.
But because it quietly ruins more lives than almost any other word.
“Should” is sneaky.
It shows up dressed like responsibility, but underneath it’s usually guilt, fear, or someone else’s expectations wearing a cheap disguise.
You should settle down.
You should be over it by now.
You should forgive.
You should try harder.
You should be normal.
Says who?
Some invisible committee of people who aren’t living your life.
The truth is, most of us carry entire backpacks full of “shoulds” that were handed to us by family, society, religion, or just random opinions we absorbed along the way. And we drag them around for years, wondering why we feel heavy and tired.
When you remove “should,” something interesting happens.
You’re left with want, choose, need, or don’t.
And those words are honest.
“I want this.”
“I don’t want this.”
“I’m not ready.”
“I choose differently.”
There’s freedom in that.
Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes discipline matters. Sometimes responsibility matters. But those things come from commitment, not shame.
“Should” is shame wearing a cardigan.
So yes… I’d happily launch that word into space.
We would all breathe easier without it.
– Mae 🧡
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