Fight, flight or freeze. Some days I experience all three of them. I wake with an urge to run away from Pure Heart, but then I remember what was sacrificed to keep this place going and I know I can never leave. Sometimes, this realisation makes me lash out at Joe and we fight, but he knows I don’t mean what I say and we always make up. Later in the day, when I’m in the garden digging, I freeze, transfixed by the soil. Thinking of Blake’s bones and Quinn’s ashes.
On days like these, I recall the official version of our story and choose to believe it. When all of us believe it makes life so much easier. One group mind. One version of the truth.
Groupthink is a powerful thing. Studying history taught me that. In certain circumstances, ordinary people can do terrible things and afterwards, despite what they’ve done, they find a way to keep on living.
Here at Pure Heart, we tell ourselves something beautiful has risen from the ruins of tragedy. Together, we’ve created a place Quinn would be proud of. A place where we can share all the many gifts she gave us with others.
At Pure Heart, you can drop the mask you wear in everyday life. The mask you show to the world because you believe you won’t be accepted or loved without it. Here you can be your most authentic self. Here, no one will judge you.
Here, with us, you will finally see how unique and special you really are.