MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE COMPASSION FOR YOURSELF
May you always have compassion for yourself.
May you always have compassion for:
The years of your life where you were working overtime to impress the perpetually unimpressed.
The months where you were giving every ounce of energy you had to win their love.
The nights where all you wanted was for them to see the depths of you.
You may look back at times and feel embarrassed by what you see. Maybe you see the desperation that motivated your actions and made you want to try so hard to fit in. Perhaps you look back and see yourself trying to justify all of the energy you were investing in the love that almost was. It may break your heart to think of that version of yourself…fighting to prove your worth..fighting to show that there was more to you. But even if there was heartbreak and grief in looking back, may there be no shame. Because even if you look back and you don’t like what you see, you have to remember this about yourself:
You were working with what you had.
You did the best you could do.
That past version of you didn’t know what you know today.
Even after all this time and everything you’ve learned, you are free to be kind to that version of yourself. May the photographs and memories of those times reveal a survivor. A human being with a courageous heart. A resilient soul, in need of tenderness. A traveler slowly finding your way into a path lined with grace.
You might remember the people you tried to impress, and you might never forget the one who came so close to finally truly loving you, but I hope you also remember the moments you finally begin to see your worth. I hope you also remember the moments when you decided that enough was enough. You weren’t going to allow others to waste your time and energy. You weren’t going to let that chapter determine the end of the story. I hope you remember the moments when you woke up to a beautiful sun rising, singing to you: “even here, there is more to you. You are free to start anew.”
May you look back on your story with compassion. May you embrace the wholeness of your story, recognizing that for all of the valleys that were a part of the landscape, there were open spaces and sunrises, too, reminding you that no matter what was missing, tomorrow was coming, and there was more to you.
Word of the Day: Tender (adj): “showing gentleness and concern or sympathy” (Oxford Languages)
Affirmation: “I will approach myself with kindness.”
Journal: How can you be tender to yourself today?
More in this week's series called "Courage, Right Here", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols
