EPISODE 6: goodbye ordinarish people, I don’t wanna pack up and leave though......

Back in middle school, I thought heartbreak worked like a cold. You caught it, cried for a week, then got over it.

Turns out, healing is more like a slow scab you keep bumping by accident. Sometimes you don’t feel it until you do and it culminates in this wave of ugly cry that you can’t explain.

How naïve I was.

But looking back I want to thank that old version of me. She was raw, hopeful and a little dumb but she kept going. All the heartbreaks, arguments, the love I experienced —I wouldn’t change a thing. Well…. maybe a few things.

Falling in love can the most beautiful thing and losing it can destroy you, if you’re not careful.

Time heals all wounds, so everyone says.

But I don’t think that’s true.

Time just teaches you how to hide them better. Sometimes you brush against them and still feel the sting —but gets softer as time passes. Hope that made sense.

My wounds would probably never heal but they are a part of me just the same.

Exactly two years have passed since “The Incident.”

I no longer flinch when someone says “dragon.”

Actually, they started something called “meme throwbacks” and I got tagged in a new one. It’s my favourite so far —my face photoshopped onto Daenerys riding a flaming Wi-Fi router.

The caption: “She logged out with dignity.”

Honestly? Could’ve been worse.

Clara and Ethan tried to make it work, but it didn’t.

I didn’t ask what went wrong just focused on lending her a shoulder when she needed.

Sometimes we talk about him —casually — and what happened but I don’t feel anything when we do…no bitterness or anger. It’s just like talking about a dream you only half-remember.

Maya says that’s progress. That might be true.

Speaking of, I ran into Ethan a few weeks ago. He looked good, got a new haircut, and a promotion, so he was moving to another city. Great. We got a coffee and just aired everything out I suppose. He apologized for what happened. Hell, even I did for whatever I did wrong. It was not as awkward as I thought. I think both of us were ready for a fresh start and in the end we both got what we needed. Simple closure.

Work’s been… quieter. The viral buzz faded, the gimmick got tiring. Some new craze has taken root about the number 67 or something like that, I don’t really get it. Everyone moved on to the next shiny thing, and that’s okay. Once in a while someone recognizes me, asks for a photo. I smile and say yes.

I plan smaller, messy, celebrations now. Backyard renewal vows. Birthday parties which I thought would be a downgrade but has been fun so far. Although it was a family party, so hold that thought. Remember that family member whose husband was” taken” by the dragon. Yeah, she got married and had twins. Suck on that Mother.

Speaking of Mother; she started taking yoga to “channel her ancestral energy.” Which I discovered, actually means “the instructor is hot.” And yes, I checked —he is.

I’ve been slowly redecorating Grandma’s house. Nothing drastic — just cleaned up, added some new curtains, framed a few old photos. But I left the shelf exactly as it was, untouched. The dragon still sat there, perfectly balanced. I even took off the talisman and put it back on myself. Just to test it out.

Sometimes, when the afternoon light hits it just right, it glimmers — like the house itself is exhaling.

Clara comes over often. Believe it or not, we’ve somehow built a much better relationship than before. How weird right? Hoes before bros and all that.

She brings snacks, sometimes brings Mother and we talk about Grandma and how the talisman came to be in our family. It’s a really crazy long story by the way. Perhaps another time.

We have a good tradition going. Both old and new.

I think Grandma would’ve like that.

Wherever she is—probably riding some giant cosmic dragon—she’s smiling, I’m sure.

As for dating? Woof. Not Yet.

I’m in no rush though.

Life still sucks but it’s sucking just a little now. I ain’t happy yet but I’m way less sad as that one song goes.

The thing about surviving public heartbreak is that it forces you to relieve it over and over. Each time making it hurt just a little less. Each replay sanding off another edge, teaching you something new about yourself. And in that clumsy, unfiltered process, it becomes part of a story you tell others.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: stop chasing endings. Life doesn’t roll the credits when you’re ready. It keeps going, awkwardly, beautifully, relentlessly.

For now, I’m just glad to say I haven’t heard a peep from the dragon or the talisman since. Not a hum, not a laughter.

Don’t you love it when things finally go quiet?

Anyway—this is it for this month’s episode, folks.

If you’ve been tuning in since The Wedding That Never Was, thanks for surviving the emotional trainwreck that was me. And if you’re new here — hi, I’m Leah Harper. Former Dragon Bride, accidental meme sensation and proud owner of a paper talisman.

I used to think the talisman was just a trinket, so when it became a source of pain in my life, it felt like a punishment. But now I think it’s wisdom entering quietly. Yes I did call my self wiser, deal with it.

In no way am I insinuating I got it all figured out. Lately, the concept of endings has been a main topic in my chaotic head. Not the dramatic kind where you slam the door and yell “I’m done!” the ones that sneak in when you’re washing dishes or tying your hair or folding laundry and you realize—my that was crap.

Yeah, I know I said ‘not to chase endings’ or whatever but it never hurts to plan ahead.

When I look back, I don’t think about heartbreak or humiliation anymore. I think about the people in my life that helped me through all that: Maya, my mother, my sister even my boss. Every single one of them shaped the way I found that balance in my life.

So here I am—still a little scared, still a little sarcastic, still learning.

If you’ve been listening, maybe you’re holding your own kind of talisman — a memory, a regret, a person you’re not ready to let go of. That’s okay. You don’t have to. Just…learn to balance it without letting it tip you over.

That’s what I’m doing. One steady hand at a time.

So yeah, maybe this isn’t really goodbye. Maybe it’s just the end of one chapter before life decides to throw another absurd plot twist my way. Who knows?

But before I sign off, let me leave you with something Grandma always said — “Everything that falls can still be put back. Just keep your hands steady.”

Because life will always tip the scales. People will break your trust. You’ll break, too. But if you keep your balance — heart in one hand, hope in the other — you’ll find your way back.

I’ve been your host, Leah Harper,
and this has been I OBJECT.

Until next time—

And don’t forget to keep the talisman on its head.

Credits Roll

Produced by: Leah Harper & The Spiritually Overcaffeinated Network
Editing & Sound Design: Maya Chen (the begrudging Co-host)
Theme Music: “Stay Balanced” by The Half-Hearted Dead Society
Special Thanks: All my people, my family, anyone who stood by me and one very ‘quiet’ ceramic dragon

Click.