01/06/2026
here’s what this past year carved into me—slowly, honestly, without asking permission:
• you’re going to hurt people sometimes, even when your intentions are clean and your heart is soft. harm isn’t always cruelty. sometimes it’s consequence. sometimes it’s growth rubbing against growth. it’s unavoidable to live without impact.
• no one actually has it figured out. not at 20, not at 30, not at 60. everyone is improvising. everyone is carrying something quietly. age is not mastery—it’s just time spent surviving.
• people will ask you to be your best self for them while helping themselves freely to your energy, your time, your tenderness. loving doesn’t mean limitless access. boundaries are the price of staying whole.
• choosing yourself will make some people uncomfortable. that doesn’t mean you’re wrong—it means you stopped being convenient.
• rest is not laziness. pulling back is not failure. disappearing for a while can be an act of self-respect.
• being good doesn’t mean being available. being kind doesn’t mean being emptied.
this year taught me that softness needs structure, love needs limits, and growth is rarely gentle—but it is honest. 🌙
