This Time I Promise

No, we don’t need more sleep. It’s our souls that are tired, not our bodies. We need nature. We need magic. We need adventure. We need freedom. We need truth. We need stillness. We don’t need more sleep, we need to wake up and live.

- Brooke Hampton

Somewhere along the way, I got it all wrong:

Let my job become my identity.
Shrank myself to fit into a box.
Became what everyone else needed me to be.

I’m done with all of that.

I finally remember who I am - the girl I was.
The one I hid away to keep safe.

I’m telling her it’s safe to come back.

She’s a little feral, and big-hearted,
a touch reckless, but in the best possible way.

I’ve missed her.

So much.

Welcome home, sweetheart. I promise, this time we’ll do it differently.

We’ll dance while we cook, and never stop singing,
and laugh from our bellies, even though they jiggle.

We’ll eat the Oreos and linger with the frogs.

And I won’t judge you when you scream at the top of your lungs with your best friend in a place where no one can hear you.

This is your time.

Just tell me what you want to do,
And what would make you happy.

I promise you, this time…
we’ll do it.

Writing Prompt:

What parts of yourself have you tucked away to make your life work? What might change if you listened to what they had to say?