I’m going to be straightforward with you, in case you haven’t figured it out yet.

Life hurts. Relationships hurt. Love hurts. (If you automatically followed that up with “Love scars”, you’re my new friend.)

Trauma hurts. Healing hurts. Learning hurts. Falling down hurts. But getting back up again?

Yeah, sometimes that hurts worst of all. But you absolutely must give your pain space. Acknowledge it. Let it sit. And allow it to pass. Fighting your pain often serves only to feed it.

There will be times in your life where it feels like you’re being beaten down by everyone and everything around you. And when the time comes for you to rise up, all you’ll have are the crickets chirping in the darkness, and whatever scrap of self-will that still remains.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve found myself in this exact spot. Honestly, sometimes I feel weak. I feel small. I feel unimportant.

Until I look back at everything I’ve been through.

I survived a cult.

I survived an alcoholic father.

I survived addiction.

I survived prison.

I survived abuse of many kinds.

I survived codependency.

I survived. I survived. I survived.

But surviving isn’t the same as thriving, is it? So how do I start thriving? And when does that happen?

Well, it starts right here. By talking. By swallowing my fear and opening my mouth to speak. It’s hard to speak with a mouth full of fear.

If you’re struggling, I encourage you to compare today’s you, with the you from yesterday. Look at you from last month. Last year. Look at you from childhood. Look at everything you’ve been through.

And yet, you’re still here. And I am so incredibly proud of you for that. You don’t need to compare yourself to someone else. You’ve accomplished plenty, all on your own. Just look at you now. Then look at you from before.

I don’t need to know you to know there’s a lot. Take a moment to acknowledge everything that you’ve done.

High five, fellow human. You’re rocking it.

If no one has told you they love you today, I love you. Thank you for being a part of my life journey.

Find my poetry books here.

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Merch coming soon!