On My Birthday…

Today, I let go of the version of me who mistook endurance for love.

The woman who believed surviving was the same as living.

The heart that stayed in places that were not safe,

because leaving felt like losing everything she knew.

I release the years I felt confined.

The days I disappeared inside someone else’s chaos.

The quiet moments where fear tried to convince me I was small.

But even there, something in me refused to die.

I gathered courage, slowly, painfully, deliberately.

I walked away from what tried to dim me.

I stepped out of shadows that were never meant to be my home.

And in the silence that followed, I found my voice again.

If I could sit beside my younger self today,

I would not judge her.

I would not shame her.

I would hold her hands and say:

You were never behind.

You were becoming.

You were never broken.

You were surviving.

You were never too much.

You were simply asking for the love you deserved.

The tears did not weaken you.

They strengthened your roots.

They watered your becoming.

And now?

Now I rise as the woman I was always meant to be.

Soft, but unshakable.

Strong, but still tender.

Wiser, yet open to love without fear.

This year, I do not only celebrate my birth.

I celebrate my rebirth.

Every scar shaped me.

Every lesson refined me.

Every brave step rebuilt me.

Nothing was wasted.

It all led me here.

And here, I stand,

grounded, aware, and free.

Still becoming.

Happy Birthday to me 🤍✨