Dear Younger Self,

I wish you knew that you are not at fault
And don’t need to hide in a corner
In the fetal position
Wrapped inside a cold sheet
From your bedroom
What if I could tell you
That you are deserving of love
Because you were born
Kicking and screaming
Needing arms around you
And if only I could hold you
I would protect you
From the big people
Called your family
Who scare you away
I wish you knew
My whisper of secrets
Drowning the voice
Of your parents
I could sit with you
When you are scared
You are not alone
And it’s okay to cry
When they hurt you
Because you don’t have to be strong
For them
You can be a kid
And color the walls
With red marker
You don’t have to be quiet
When you want to laugh
Or just be seen
I would tell you to stand up
When they push you down
And show them
That slamming doors
Cannot keep you
Invisible
In their home
The sheets
Pulled back

To the parts of me that still think they get to decide my worth:
I know why you exist. You were built in pain, in abandonment, in damage that taught me to stay small so I could stay safe . You are not my truth — you are my old survival instincts wearing my name.
You tell me I’m too much, not enough, hard to love, hard to trust, too broken to be fully seen.
But I’ve been hard to love in the wrong places, not impossible to love at all.
I’ve been guarded because I learned what it cost to open up too fast.
I’ve been numb because feeling everything at once was once too expensive for my nervous system to afford �.
I am not weak because I have scars.
I am not behind because I needed time.
I am not failing because healing is ugly and slow.
I am sober. I am still here. I am learning how to belong to myself again .
So no, you don’t get to run my life anymore.
You don’t get to call fear “intuition.”
You don’t get to call shame “humility.”
You don’t get to call old pain my identity.
I am taking back my power one honest choice at a time.
One boundary.
One breath.
One moment where I refuse to abandon myself just because I’m uncomfortable.
I do not need to be less to be worthy.
I need to be mine.

As I close my eyes, I am in the living room, watching my younger self write celebrity names that resonate with me, such as Ashanti or Aaliyah, and try to mimic their personalities so I can be liked in school, because being liked by my peers would make me “feel” happy. My younger self was insecure beyond belief, and I felt I had to alter how I looked externally and internally to feel happy.

To some extent, I was depressed because I attached happiness to validation.
I thought I was ugly and didn’t have anything special to give or show other people.
I wanted to be 5″5, less thin, with hazel eyes and a “likable” personality, and I thought maybe then I could feel happy.

I was begging to be seen, heard, and loved.
I was lacking self-love, self-worth, and compassion.

Now, as an adult, I touch the hand of my younger self to put down the pen. I will say, you don’t have to do this; you’re beautiful in my own way, and you will be loved by those who matter. Those you don’t love don’t matter, and you have something to bring to the table. You have a purpose. Mostly, happiness is not validation; happiness is more than just a “feeling”, it’s a life experience. Like the water at the shore, drifting in and out. That’s happiness. It’s not something to be held, chased, or controlled. Therefore, my love, you don’t have to alter who you are to feel happy and validated by others.

It’s okay to have insecurities; you will get professional help and work through them.
In reality, there is no such thing as “ugly”.
What is cute to you might not be cute to someone else, and what is cute to someone else might not be cute to you.

No matter what the “mean girls” say to you, it’s only a reflection of their insecurities as well. Sometimes people show their need for approval in different ways to make them feel happy. Therefore, their taunting behavior towards you is their way to make themselves feel happy. My dear, that’s not true happiness either. Remember, happiness is an experience. It’s about learning to deal with the yin and yang of life. You will be okay and get through it all. In the end, all of this will make you stronger, see yourself with kinder eyes, and make you happy. And when you don’t “feel” happy, it won’t be the end of the world. Just know you’ll feel it again; every night ends, and the sun always rises.

Fellow travelers sitting cross legged on bolsters surrounded by lush jungle overlooking the sea. A circle of shared vulnerability for what we all are in search of. One person after another crying for help. “I’m stuck in the grind of the corporate world. I need to find happiness.”

The world is eating these people alive, I thought.

I get it.
I’ve pushed. I’ve stayed. I’ve suffered. Because that’s what perfect girls, do right?
We persevere. We commit. We do the extra credit. We change our bodies to fit the societal standard of beauty. We go above and beyond so others will notice.
Because that is what is valued.

And it’s killing us.

Dear younger self, this is what you should know…

Happiness is creating a life that is consistently peaceful, balanced, and joy filled. It is crafting a life you don’t have to escape from. It’s contentment that doesn’t hinge on any outside force. Happiness is within. Understand this and you will have riches.

Precious girl, when you are unhappy in your job, actively take steps to change it. You are capable, intelligent, and can problem solve. You have gifts to offer the world. It’s time to share them. You worry too much for someone who has figured it out every single time.

Sometimes you can’t breathe or think your way into feeling happier. You are going to have to physically change the thing that is causing your misery. Trust your nervous system.

Take care of your physical health.
Water.
Sleep.
Nourishing food.
Exercise that makes you feel strong, balanced, and mobile.
This is your foundation on which all else lies.

Do the inner work.
Prioritize mental health.
Your mind has to be a safe space for you to reside.

Happiness is found in the present moment.
Not 10 minutes ago or tomorrow.
So read the books, seek out the teachers, and practice to gain the wisdom.

Find your people.
Seek out the community meant for you.
Those who give you a high five after riding a 2 foot wave, who hold your hands on the beach after you’ve hurt your knee, who frame the first poem you submitted to a contest, who listen and give perspective when your relationship gets hard.

Gratitude.
Every day.
For clean, running water, shelter, access to food, cushy shoes, yummy incense, honey in your tea, a body that can move, think, and feel.

Ask the big questions often…
What gives my life meaning?
What is my definition of success?
Who Am I becoming?
Find your passions and run in that direction.
And when it changes and you find something new, run there.

Don’t stay comfortable for long.
Try the surf camp, jump off the waterfall, ask to exchange phone numbers with the stranger you connect with, fly in the twelve seater plane to the little town in Costa Rica.
Trust me when I say, the braver you are, the luckier you’ll get.

Constantly question societal norms.
If you’re happy not shaving your legs, don’t.
If you want to put less money in your 401k so you have money to travel, do it.
If you don’t want to have kids, don’t.

Show compassion to the world.
Hold the door for strangers, fill the community food pantry, call your friend on their birthday, show up in other’s grief.
Put yourself constantly in others’ shoes.
Acceptance and love opens the heart, hatred and ignorance closes it.
The more we love others, the happier we are.

Listen to your intuition.
Trust your Knowing.
What feels right? What is true?

Make enough money to pay your bills and go on wild adventures.
Money stops making people happy shortly after basic needs are met. It’s science.
Stop overworking.

Simplify.
Don’t buy stuff because a decade from you now you will purge it all.
Don’t buy a big house because you will eventually downsize.
Skip the part where you think “stuff” defines you and will make you happy.
You don’t need stuff, you need experiences, people, and self-love.

Say to yourself every day…
I am good enough.
I am worthy.
I love you.

Sweet girl, pursue your wildest dreams.
Be bold.
Ask for what you want-the worst they can say is “no.”

Despite the cards you have been dealt, your happiness lies in your hands.
Every choice you make sets you up for the life you will live.
Do life on purpose.

It’s a very short ride.

At the end of our life, we will ask, “Did we take the opportunities, go on the adventures, seek peace and joy at every turn, and love all the beings and ourselves radically?

Tender hearted girl, our answer will be “Yes!”

The Girl Who Refused to Disappear

Dear Younger Me,
There are so many things I wish someone had told you.
Staring at the ceiling all night long, I can feel things that aren’t there – bugs crawling across my skin. Tears slip sideways into my hair as I wonder why people treat me like I’m either useful… or invisible.
They were kind when it benefited them.
They said they loved me.
But they didn’t love me; they loved how much of myself I was willing to give.
And then, just as quickly, they disappear, leaving me exactly where they found me… unseen.
I started to wonder if disappearing myself would make any difference at all.
Would they look for me?
And if they did…
How long before they stopped?
I wish I could sit beside you – just for a moment – take your hand and show you what’s waiting for you. To show you that you are a child made of more strength than you can see.
You have survived more than anyone should: a family that didn’t know how to love you, violations that stole your safety, the loss of a child, words and hands that left their mark. There will be days when the weight of it all presses so hard on your chest, you’ll wonder how you’re still breathing.
There will be nights when the silence feels louder than any voice around you.
But listen to me –
You survive.
And one day, in the quiet of a life you built, you will look back at her.
You made it.
Every heartbreak. Every cruel word. Every moment you thought would break you.
You survive it.
Here is what I wish you knew sooner:
You are not broken –
Even when the world insists that you are. That was never your failure. Yes, it will hurt. Some wounds will stay. But those wounds are not where your story ends; they are where your strengths begin. Right now, you feel like you’re fighting battles no one can see. You’re trying to discover who you are in a world that doesn’t always make space for you. Sometimes it feels like disappearing would be easier. The person you are becoming is braver than anything that tried to break you.
One day, after everything you thought would break you…
You will look in the mirror and see
A woman who kept going.
A woman who refused to disappear.
A woman who turned pain into purpose.
You may not believe it now, but there will come a day when you understand that every painful, confusing, heavy step of this journey was shaping you into who you were always meant to be.
One day, you will stop asking for permission to exist. One day, you will stop apologizing for who you are. And when that day comes… you won’t just realize that you survived the storm-
You’ll realize the truth that changes everything:
The storm didn’t come to destroy you. It came to reveal something you couldn’t yet see – you were never the girl who disappears.
With love and understanding,
Your future self

To the girl on the other side of the mirror. I see you, and I know everything. I know the secrets you’re ashamed to admit. The survival your life holds. I know it all. From the abduction at age 3. The night sleeping in that cold bathtub. The very day you were returned to your mother. I know about the sexual abuse, verbal abuse, even the emotional trauma you have endured. I know your story. But you have always smiled. You love anyway. You desperately want love. Accepted. I won’t lie. Your life, our life is lonely. Your hero, your brother will pass away leaving you an only child. The only man you knew as “daddy” will pass too years later and that will be extremely traumatic due to the circumstances that follow. My darling please take care of yourself. Above everything else. Let your heart rest and think. Your first sexual encounter will be…. A traumatic one but a blessing. A daughter. Don’t get married because you’re ashamed to tell the truth. You did nothing wrong. The marriage won’t last anyway. Be proud to raise her. When that boy from school finally ask you out. Let him open that door, bring you flowers. I know your not used to it. I understand you don’t know how to react, but let him anyways. He will be the biggest heartbreak but also your best blessing ever. We are going on 30 years now. There will be rumors and talk but use your mind not emotions. You know the truth. Yes, life will break your heart. But my darling girl even the prettiest Tiffany lamp is broken and it still hold exquisite value as well as shine. Why would you be anything less?! Your world will come crashing down when your mother passes and you will be betrayed in the worst way possible. Don’t allow your heart to control the actions you take. You must protect yourself. Your heart…. I know you want to see the good. But dear when evil is present only darkness will survive. You can’t love evil. It won’t work. People will leave. Let them go. They were never ment to stay. Love yourself and life will be so much easier. Learn from your mistakes and give yourself grace. Your learning dear. And to learn mistakes must happen. That’s how it works. So be easy on yourself. The rest will come. If they can’t see your golden heart then they don’t deserve your velvet prayers. Your beautiful and your one of a kind. You’ll be okay. I love you

Dear younger self, why did it take three marriages and three relationships to realize u can live all that u want as an empathetic, but it must be equal return. That energy harvesters and witches are attracted to a. Annointed ones that’s light shines bright. Dear younger self why didn’t you see sooner that they were always painting a false image of who u were and trying to put out your light. Dear youngerself, I see now that u were very strong. That some of the battles u faced alone were way more than your attackers could face even if they were allowed to swap destinies they would have to go thought the pain and hurt they put u through first. Dear younger self the Proverbs 22 woman of God u have become and the strength u kept even when there was no way God made a way for u out each time you grew stronger. Dear youngerself, looking back the reason why u worked all the time three jobs most of your oldest childhood is to provide for your kids. Looking back each job was strategicilly placed so that the shut ins, those needing a good house cleaning, those that needed compassion, where there wasn’t any, and those that needed to see in the workplace, the neighborhood, the less fortunate, those at the grocery stores and in social media and newspapers all needed to see that bright light and live that u have for the world. Dear younger me I am very blessed and happy to see where God has led u today. Each bad relationship was placed there so that u could be that beacon of hope that the less fortunate and those facing darkness and operating out of r.a.t.s. must be stopped and more importantly u have the courage to speak up and stand against it. 8 am very proud of u u kept shining through a whole 30 years of darkness way to go.

She’s a Tornado
Whirling through her life
Holding herself together with a mighty force
That leaves a path of destruction everywhere she touches down
She’s powerful
She’s boisterous and loud
She’s angry
She forgot that she is just the wind
And she can slow down at any time
She could carry a laugh on a summer breeze
She could carry plane loads of people higher with her
She could surrender to her Creator
She could carry the light to every place she touches
She could just carry the breathe of life
Yahweh

You look in the mirror.
and you begin to wonder.
What is a life without insecurity?
What is a life without worry?
When will you finally feel worthy?
Of the space you take up, of the smiles you receive?
Do you deserve your place in the world?
What are you good for?
What do you do?
You want to write.
You want to pick up the pen
And believe in it.
But what is there to believe in?
You’re awkward and clumsy
“No one even loves me!”
Forget about fitting into those jeans, they’ll bust at the seams.
Poor little girl, stomped on by the world
Always putting you aside on that dusty shelf.
No one’s first choice.
Second place? Don’t flatter yourself. You’re not even on the board.
So easily forgotten.
You know you’re rotten.
So yeah little girl, write in your notebook.
All those feelings, and all those tears staining the pages.
Don’t forget where you came from, don’t forget where the rage is.
UNLEASH IT MAX
FEEL THE ANGER
ITS A GIFT FROM YOUR FATHER
ACCEPT IT AND BE A GOOD DAUGHTER.
“Stop it!!”
Don’t talk back, didn’t you know, talking back is rude and gets you nowhere good
A slap to the face, you fucking disgrace.
“I want my mom!’
Ugh pathetic little girl, do you want your mommy? Too bad she’s dead.
She left you like the rest, because babygirl, you are a pest.
“Where’s my husband?’
There’s no one here to save you, you good for nothing brat.
I’m taking over,so let me out and you’ll be safe. I promise that I’ll take away your suffering and you will no longer feel any pain.
You’ll fit into those jeans, your ribcage will be seen.
I’ll eat your skin, so you can finally be thin.
“I want to go home”
Your home is here, Max.
You belong nowhere else.
“Who are you?”
Who am I? I am you.
Well, I am the true you. I am your rage, I am your insecurity, I am the darkest part of you.
“I don’t want you to take over, I want to be me”
Who’s that exactly? Do you even know?
You pretend you’re kind, you pretend you’re fine.
But that’s fantasy, but this? This is your reality.
You will never be worthy, you will never have a true place.
But, I can take away your pain.
You can take a blade to your veins, or you can take those pills and let your body go still.
Or you can live. You do have a choice.
“If I die, will anyone cry?”
One way to find out, but I doubt it.
“If I live…-”
Nothing good will come out of you living.
“But my husband, and my friends -’
What about them? You’re just an annoyance to them, another thing to take care of.
“They say the lo-”
They’re lying.
“WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME?!”
No YOU listen to-
“Shut up.”
Wha-
“SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP”
…
“I’m going to live, whether or not I have something worthy to give. My husband and my friends love me, I know it deep down. but you’re on the surface so I have to shove you to the ground. My mom didn’t leave me, she passed away and is at peace. She loves me, I know that. You need to go away. Stop controlling my thoughts, you are in the way.”
In the way of what?
“Peace. Serenity. I don’t need to die, I need to learn how to be alive. “
What? But you’re miserable!
“I’m losing weight on my own, learning the ropes, finding a home. The journey is hard but I have people to hold me when I start to fall apart. You need to leave now, you’re no longer needed. I can handle it from here. Thank you so much for all of these years though. You gave me this path to walk on, except I took a different turn, thank you for the steps, but it’s time for you to rest. “
…
I was only trying to help!.
“I know and you did, in a sense of discovery. I discovered I’m not useless and that I am worthy, without the insecurity I wouldn’t have had this journey. Thank you, me. I know you’ll try to resurface, try to take away my purpose. But I have friends and family to help me push you back. I know you’ll chase me, no matter where I go. I’ll always out run you, you’ll trip on the stones. I know this path by heart now…thanks to you. Good luck keeping up, goodbye now, until we meet again. But I’ll be prepared, I’ll have words and an army, you will not be spared. “

Dear Insecurity,

You no longer have a hold on me.

Just because everyone else in my life has been blessed abundantly doesn’t mean there are less blessings for me. You need to stop making me think that I’m lesser than my family members, friends, classmates, colleagues, and anyone else who’s “better off” than I am. Comparison is the thief of joy. We are all working through different journeys in life, and I’m not going to compare the start of mine to the middle of someone else’s.

The spring of 2026 marks my fourth semester teaching piano with this private music studio. I’ve got a lot fewer students than I did when I first started a year and a half ago. That doesn’t mean I’m a bad teacher. It doesn’t mean the students or their parents hate me. It doesn’t mean I’m unsuccessful. The truth is that some of these students weren’t interested in piano anymore. Some of them were moving away. Some of them could no longer afford lessons with the life changes their families were experiencing. Not everything is about me, you know. Not everything is my fault. These students are growing and changing the same way I am, and they are discovering their own interests the same way I’ve discovered mine.

Several of my college classmates knew exactly what career fields they were going into upon completion of their undergraduate degrees. Some of them went to grad school, completed secondary degrees, and landed higher-salaried jobs. Just because I chose not to complete a secondary degree does not mean I’m greater than or lesser than my classmates. Just because I’m not earning as much as they are does not mean I’m not unsuccessful. If I’m unsatisfied with the way my life currently is, there are steps I can take to change it. I’m praying that God will grant me the patience to implement the changes I want to see in my life. I am slowly figuring out what I want to be careerwise, and I am deciphering the steps I need to take to get there.

I am twenty-three years old. I’ve been on and off of dating apps for three years now, and I am still single. A lot of the people in my friend group have been in serious relationships for years—and some are already married! If my friends have found their life partners already, that’s great! I can be happy for them. Just because they’ve found their soulmates before I have does not mean I’m unlovable or undateable. It’s not a competition to see who gets married first. Besides, they are all different from me. This means their relationships with their respective partners are different from what mine might look like. It might even be a few more years—maybe even a decade—until my soulmate comes into my life. Or maybe there is no one out there for me. That’s not a bad thing, either. If there is no one out there for me, it just means I get to focus on building my personal success, as well as a stronger relationship with God and genuine, healthy relationships with my friends and found family. And that’s more than any romantic relationship can give me.

I’m taking back my life today—right here, right now. You are done controlling my thoughts, my actions, my outlook on life in general. Yes, problems will arise, but I am going to deal with them as they are, not how YOU perceive them to be.

Goodbye, Insecurity.
And good riddance.

Style Score 100%

To my younger self,

You don’t know it yet, but you’ve been living in survival mode for so long that you’ve mistaken it for your personality. You consider being alert, quiet, and self-contained as signs of maturity. You believe that bearing all your burdens yourself signifies strength. You view the world as something you must brace yourself against.

But one day, you’ll understand that strength isn’t the armor you wear. It’s the softness you’ve been trained to hide.

You go through life as if you anticipate the floor collapsing at any point. You read every room like it’s a map of danger. You shrink your voice so you don’t take up space you’re afraid you’ll have to defend. You’ve learned to fold yourself into smaller shapes, believing that if you’re careful enough, calm enough, agreeable enough, you’ll be safe.

But you were never meant to live that small.

Love will confuse you. It will thrill you. It will hurt you in ways you won’t talk about for years. You’ll mistake intensity for connection and chaos for passion. You’ll think the highs mean something, that the lows are just the price you pay. You’ll try to save people who never asked to be saved, pouring yourself out until you’re empty and calling it loyalty.

But eventually, you’ll understand that genuine love doesn’t feel like a storm. It feels like a place you can finally set your bags down.

Life will stretch you in ways that feel unfair. It will hand you moments that feel too heavy for someone your age. You’ll learn boundaries by crossing your own. You’ll learn self‑worth by losing it. You’ll learn resilience not from the moments you stood tall, but from the moments you fell apart and still found a way to rise.

And through it all, something inside you will keep glowing, a small, stubborn light you didn’t even know you had. You’ll try to dim it to make others comfortable. You’ll try to hide it so you don’t draw attention. But that light is your truth. Your intuition. Your voice. Your becoming.

One day, you’ll stop apologizing for it.

You’ll unfold. Slowly at first, then all at once. You’ll speak up. You’ll set boundaries. You’ll walk away from what hurts, even when staying feels familiar. You’ll learn that you don’t have to earn love by overextending yourself. You’ll learn that you don’t have to be the strong one all the time. You’ll learn that vulnerability isn’t a risk, it’s a doorway.

You will become someone you once needed. Someone who knows her worth. Someone who doesn’t confuse survival with living. Someone who understands that taking up space is not a threat, it’s a right.

If I could place one truth in your hands, it would be this:

You were never meant to carry the world. You were meant to shine in it.

And you will.

With light and honesty,

Your future self

Dear Insecurities,

I fight you every day… and honestly, I’m tired of you.

You always find a way to creep into my mind, making me question myself—how I look, how I’m loved, and how people see me. You turn simple things into heavy thoughts and make me doubt the love I know is real.

But let me remind you of something—I am not who you say I am.

I am more than the fear you try to place on me, more than the overthinking, and more than the version of me you try to create. I’m growing every day, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Some days you may feel louder than my strength… but I’m still here. Still choosing me.

And one day, you won’t have a voice at all.

I give up!
No not on life. Not on me.
Not on my reflection. Not on my affection, preference or weird selection but yes
the neglect-ion

Not on my crooked smile. The weird way I walk, kind heart or how my banter sometimes comes off as being smart but yea
the demons I face in the dark!

Not on my uncomfortable laugh. How I come to terms with my past, the adrenaline blast that comes from moving too fast. But of course
prolonging something that will never last.

I give up!
Not on my dreams. Not on my bravery or fears, my optimism, my curiosity or my purpose to be here. But yes the entity that brings my tears..

NOT ON MY FRIENDS!
KIN
TRENDS
MY THRIVE TO WIN, MY FEELING TO DEPEND
ON PEOPLE WHEN I’M LOST WITHIN
MY TALENT I’M BLESSED WITH WHEN GIVEN PAPER AND PEN
BUT YES OF COURSE THAT DARKNESS THAT CAUSES ME TO SIN.

NOT ON MY VOICE
MY CHOICE TO PROVE A POINT
AND EXPLOIT
MY INVERTED SIDE
TO CONJOINT
WITH MY WISDOM AND MIND
AND FALL IN LINE WITH THE WORDS
I HIDE INSIDE ALL OF THE TIME
SO I WONT DISAPPOINT
BUT YES, THE WATER THAT MAKE MY CHEEKS MOIST

I give up!
No not on life. Not on me
Not on my reflection. Not on my affection
But yes being redundant and keep relearning that lesson.
I give up!

Thank you.
Because of you, I’ve become who I needed.
Who you needed. The person you never got the chance to meet. To tell those that there’s more than who we are in a moment. Who we can be at times. I’ve become someone unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Hold on to that. The grip can loosen, but don’t let go. Thank you. For the patience you’ll bestow on countless lives that grew into a deepened understanding of forgiveness. Especially towards yourself. There’s so much to tell you, but here is what I would like for you to know; You are loved. You have always been worth loving. Even though you’ll go through moments that the truth of those statements feel fallacious, you’ll overcome that doubt. It has allowed you to love deeper than ever imaginable. Genuine and authentic love that you must always protect while maintaining vulnerability. Stay true to yourself Tina, for I’ve watched you earn your name, Florentina, with pride. Others have laughed at our lectures and questioned if I would have listened at that age. In those situations? With that kind of mindset? I always reply in the same manner; I will never know because no one did. At least not before I displayed worth. Continue seizing the moments with your head high and feet forward. Hating yourself might become your greatest burden, but stay open to love. What I wish you would have known then that I know now isn’t advice. It’s more of a reassurance I’d give to you. Advice is the beauty I now am able to give because of everything you’ve gone through. I wouldn’t take too much away or switch up the path you’re set on because to change the butterfly changes the influence and your influence is undeniable. Believe in yourself the way you’re capable of believing others. You deserve that and much greater. Stick to the silly mantras and mottos that you believe in for it has worked. I’m proud of you. You fumble, break and lose yourself along the way, but who doesn’t? A gentle warning from me to you is that your love is not set out to be understood or accepted by the masses. Maybe only you. Don’t give up hope though, because you do end up finding someone who doesn’t stop trying to. If everyone always tried, you wouldn’t understand the depth of what it looks like. Thank you. For not allowing trauma to shape you into darkness from darkness. Having to carry so much of it allowed me to chuckle at not choosing the bright side. You and I have a lifetime of confusion and affliction we could choose from to excuse us if we wanted to be vile. We don’t. Then until now, many words have been used to describe you. Define myself. Many fluctuate or are fabricated, but one will forever remain solid; you’re hilarious. You’ll never be told otherwise. They couldn’t.