09/12/2026
The deepest betrayal wasn’t what someone else did to me.
It was every time I stayed silent when I wanted to speak.
Every time I questioned what I knew. Every time I made myself smaller, easier, and more acceptable so someone else wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
I can have compassion for the version of me who believed self-abandonment was the price of love and belonging — But I’m no longer abandoning myself to keep other people comfortable.
They can misunderstand me.
They can be disappointed.
They can even leave.
I’m still choosing me and I hope you choose you, too.