08/22/2026
Had this sitting in my drafts since my birthday. Decided I wanted to say it after all.
The past few years have been some of the most transformative of my adult life. Three and a half years ago, I had to start my life over from scratch.
Much of the time since then was spent wading through murky waters, trying to understand myself while confronting trauma that had been sitting underneath so much of the darkness I carried for years.
Eventually, I realized I needed to step away from almost everything I knew and loved long enough to figure out what belonged to me, what I had inherited from pain, and what I needed to leave behind.
For years, I was reacting to pain I had never properly dealt with.
The wins feel different now. They don’t feel fleeting. They feel like the result of years of introspection, difficult decisions, mistakes, rebuilding, and refusing to stop trying.
Growing up without parents and with very few real family relationships meant I had to build family elsewhere. The people still standing beside me are a huge reason I’m still here and breathing. I’ll never forget the people who refused to give up on me or cast me out during my lowest points.
I spent so much time measuring my life by what I had lost that I almost missed how much I was gaining in its place.
I lost people.
I lost relationships.
I lost money.
I lost years.
I lost parts of myself.
I lost versions of my life I thought were permanent.
Some scars healed. Some are still healing.
But this time around, I gained more.
I gained perspective.
I gained peace.
I gained people who love me with intention.
I gained boundaries.
I gained patience.
I gained a deeper understanding of myself.
I gained the ability to sit with myself without running from what I found.
Most importantly, I gained myself back.
I’m building from something solid now instead of constantly trying to recover from what broke.
There’s still work to do. There always will be.
Here’s to finally breaking that mountain down to a boulder.
More life. More lessons. More growth.
Love y’all.
