BECOMING

She spent years searching for something she couldn’t name, In the quiet corners of books, in the arms of others, In fleeting moments of happiness That dissolved like fog when the sun came out. Love, she thought, would be the answer. But it came wrapped in lessons, not solutions. A mirror showing her the cracks she had painted over, The wounds she tried to hide beneath fake happiness and laughter. Trying to feel good by making everyone but herself better, She stumbled often, tripping over her own doubts, Trying to fit into lives that weren’t hers to live, Trying to be enough for people who didn’t stay. But even in the breaking, she learned. Life didn’t hand her answers, just moments. Messy mornings, tear-streaked nights, soaked pillows. And days where she felt like giving up. But somewhere in the chaos, she began to build. She stopped running, stopped trying to be perfect. Stopped seeking love to fill the emptiness Stopped seeking validation from outside and outsiders. She looked inward. And started listening to the quiet voice inside. The one that said: You’re already whole. She began to love herself in small ways: A walk with her head held high, a book she chose just for her, The courage to say no, the bravery