The Lori Diaries
Bio
Writer exploring identity, human behavior, and life between cultures. Sharing reflective essays and observations from an African living in Japan.
Achievements (1)
Stories (101)
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Sumimasen, Silent Rules
In Japan, unspoken rules guide every action. No one explains them, but everyone instinctively follows. "Sumimasen" is a Japanese word often used to say “excuse me,” “sorry,” or to politely get someone’s attention. It hints at the Japanese cultural focus on politeness and consideration for others.
By The Lori Diaries20 days ago in Fiction
I Collected Random Pictures From the Internet — And They Said More About Us Than I Expected
Sometimes the internet gives more than memes. It gives mirrors. Today, I scrolled. I clicked. I paused at a handful of random images that grabbed my attention. Some are riddles. Some are illusions. Some are questions that feel simple, until you think about them over again.
By The Lori Diaries23 days ago in Humans
The Hidden Cost of Applause: When Success Comes at the Expense of Your True Self
We often praise people for being emotionally strong, but we rarely ask who they are being strong for. I learned the hard way that strength without boundaries is not really strength.
By The Lori Diaries24 days ago in Humans
ELIAS!
At eighty, Elias discovered that silence weighs heavily sometimes. It weighs on the chest. It fills every room. It lingers long after footsteps should have come back. Silence, he realized too late, isn’t just the absence of sound. It is everything that never returned.
By The Lori Diaries28 days ago in Fiction
The Rules That Kept the House Quiet
I didn’t know about the rules at first. I only noticed that she moved through motherhood like someone walking across ice: slow, deliberate, always listening for cracks. She was careful, but it didn’t look gentle. Her carefulness felt more like holding something in.
By The Lori Diaries2 months ago in Fiction
