If I could sit down with my younger self, I’d have great news to share, news she might struggle to believe. I’d tell her about a different path than the one she mapped out. A path that could lead her closer to her true self, if she chose to take it.
I’d tell her that to find this path, she needs to be open about where she is in life. It’s okay to share what she’s doing to survive. That telling the right people can lead to the right doors opening.
I’d tell her there is help for people in her situation and that if she opens up fully, she might get exactly what she needs. That she doesn’t have to sell her soul to survive. There’s a life waiting for her at her truest essence: a safe place to be, to breathe, to rest simply. A steady foundation. One that holds her softness without demanding she harden to be safe. I’d assure her that while she can do it on her own, she won’t have to anymore. And that sparkly hope she’s kept alive in her heart is real, it exists.
If I could talk to her, I’d tell her she’s done what she needed to do to make it this far, and that’s okay. She’s learned lessons the hard way, and I’m proud of her for that. She will find her way, and she’s already on the path. I’d tell her that just like in nature there’s a path where the rain stops falling, the storms start to move away, and the rainbow comes out. I’d hug her and tell her that despite the current storm she’s in, butterflies will guide her home.
~KV
