I’m breaking cycles that have enveloped my life for more time than I’d like to acknowledge. I think they started as protection — staying guarded once felt safer than staying open. But I see them now, and seeing them is where change begins.

This year, my birthday finds me in a reflective mood — looking back at the journey that brought me here and everything this year asked of me. Somewhere along the way, I picked up a habit I didn’t even notice forming: surviving my emotional connections instead of truly living them. Enduring instead of feeling.
I don’t want to carry that into my next year. I want to be present to the people I love, to the healthy emotions I’ve been numbing out, and to the life I’m actually living — not just the one I’m getting through.

Another year older. Grateful for the lessons, even the ones that hurt. Here’s to being more connected, and less armored. 🎂