There was a time when I kept trying to go back.

Back to how things used to be.

Back to the spark.

Back to the simplicity.

Back to the version of me who did speak up—until I realized people didn’t like it.

So I swallowed my truth. Bit my tongue. Softened the edges of who I was just to keep the peace.

But it never really felt like peace.

It felt like performance.

Because any connection that requires you to hide parts of yourself isn’t connection at all.

I wanted to be loved, but not just the quiet, agreeable version of me—the full, complicated, truth-telling version.

And as I grew, I started noticing how many of the relationships around me couldn’t hold that version.

The people closest to me—friends, family—weren’t interested in expanding, evolving, or meeting me in the deep end.

They wanted things to stay the same.

They clung to routine, to comfort, to conversations that never asked too much of them.

And I get it—change is scary. Growth is uncomfortable.

But so is pretending you’re fine when your soul is aching for more.

I tried to stay.

I tried to make it work.

I dimmed myself. I made small talk. I looked for connection in places that had long stopped offering it.

But eventually, I realized: I’d rather be alone than surrounded by people who fear becoming more.

Because growth doesn’t look like harmony. It often looks like tension, misalignment, loneliness.

It feels like standing in a room full of people you love and knowing you’re no longer willing to betray yourself to belong.

I’m no longer trying to “go back.”

The past may feel familiar, but it’s not where I’m meant to live.

I’m here for what’s next.

The honest conversations. The vulnerable truths. The kind of love that can weather evolution.

So if you’ve been holding back to keep things comfortable—ask yourself:

Is it really connection if you have to hide to keep it?

Let them stay where they are if they must.

You? You’re becoming someone your past self never could’ve imagined.

And that deserves to be seen, honored, and lived—fully.

Tenderly. Imperfectly. Wide awake.

Now… what truth are you ready to finally stop hiding?

As for me?

I know I’m no longer hiding.

Take me or leave me—either way, I know my value and my worth.

And I truly hope you find that for yourself too.