In 2023 I discovered that the most precious thing that you can have is peace of mind and no one is worth giving that up for. If someone consistently makes you feel awful about yourself, leave. It has been a relief to not be the scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. It has been wonderful to discover that the displays of affection I received were nothing but a tool for control. The freedom of being able to make my own decisions, to have different opinions, to make mistakes again, has been incredible. I feel creative again. I feel honest. I feel like myself.
I used to look at my life and think, I have everything I want, why doesn’t it feel right? I used to wonder - is this it? Is this how the rest of my life is going to be? It has been a gift to find out that it is not. I no longer have to fail at being what someone else wants me to be. I can be anything I want. This year, I want to discover exactly who that is.