This year I learned how resilient I am.

I learned what it was like to be tested to my very core and how I will not betray my own soul for any reason.

I learned that seeking safety doesn’t make me safe and that it’s the very struggle to stay safe that causes my suffering.

I learned that hiding only makes my world unbearable. And that sometimes you just need to drop the boundaries you’ve so carefully constructed around yourself, let the world in, get on a plane before you’re ready, and experience more.

I also learned you don’t have to let everything in. That sometimes it’s not yours to carry, and that just because someone gives you something doesn’t mean you have to accept it.

In all of this, I actually learned to have even stronger boundaries and a stronger voice.

A voice that is connected to my soul and my inner compass, not anyone else’s idea of what I should be.

So much gratitude to the lessons.

Photo was taken in Mycenae, Greece

---