“The Kindness I Owe Myself.”

“There was a time when I drowned in guilt and regret. This is a letter to the girl I was, and the woman I’m becoming.”

 Mistakes made.

Lessons learnt.

I used to sit and replay it all,

the choices I made,

the people I trusted,

the moments I wish I could undo.

Guilt would flood in,

followed by a sea of what ifs and could have beens.

I often cried in silence,

carrying fears that weren’t even mine to hold.

There were seasons when I craved validation,

when I let others dictate my “right” and “wrong.”

I walked in the shoes of their dos and don’ts,

and lost myself in the process.

There were people I chose not to forgive..

not because I couldn’t,

but because the wounds ran too deep.

But now I see it clearly:

The more I held on to the pain,

the more I hurt myself.

So I choose kindness.

To forgive myself

for the people I allowed in,

for the decisions I made out of fear or loneliness.

Not because they deserve it,

but because I do.

I deserve peace.

I deserve a space free from facades.

My past does not define me.

It warns me.

It teaches me.

It reminds me of who they were.. and still are.

But it no longer holds me hostage.

I’m walking in grace now.

Quiet, kind, and careful.

This is the kindness I owe myself.

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