GENTLE

Hey Guys,

I’m back with another lesson from this year. Just before last year came to an end, I remember writing to myself about things I needed to focus on to come back to myself this year and one of them was loving myself intentionally. Last year was a hard year for many people, including me, but I promised myself that I would’t lose myself this year no matter how hard it gets. I didn’t or at least I haven’t let myself lose it for too long without snapping out of it.

This year I was gentler with myself and remembered to put myself first, to care for myself, to love myself, to choose myself. This year I intentionally and consciously did things for me,  whatever that meant- this year I remembered me. This year coming back to myself was my priority and I can’t say that I’m back but I’m on my way and I’m happy with my progress.

I have stopped stretching my hands for yours. It is not the end of what was, it is knowing I have to trust myself again and again. I am all that I have got.

-Ijeoma Umebinyuo

Maybe you wanted to do the same this year and didn’t do it? Maybe you did but didn’t get as far as you wanted? Be patient with yourself. We’re naturally dissatisfied by where we are but take some time to give yourself some credit for the small steps you took to come back to yourself. Maybe like Nayyirah Waheed says, you held your heart out of your body for days, for weeks or months and the healing finally begun to come? Maybe it didn’t come  all at once? But it didn’t hurt for a while that’s progress no? If you picked at your flaws less or finally let someone in or ate less fries or finally went to the gym? You made some progress, maybe not as much as you’d like but it counts.

Did you return to yourself this year? Did you get closer to the person you were before something changed you or something died in you? Did you get closer to the person you want to be? Even it was just for a little while?

You can read a piece about coming home to yourself I posted on here at the beginning of the year to get a little more insight.

“Refuse to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27

Be Love and Be Light,

Michelle.