Returning to Myself

This year stretched me, softened me, and reshaped me. I learned to release what drained me, embrace the love that lifted me, and honor the truth that guided me home. Grateful for the lessons, the healing, the communities that held me, and the version of myself rising from it all—with clarity, courage, and gratitude.

As Thanksgiving arrives in North America, I’m taking a breath—a long, intentional one—to look back at the past eleven months. Somehow, time slipped through my fingers faster than I could keep track of, yet it left behind so many lessons, awakenings, and quiet transformations.

This year wasn’t gentle. Not for me, not for the people I love, and not for the world we’re living in. We witnessed disasters intensified by a shifting climate, wars and uprisings reshaping nations, corruption exposed, and entire communities forced into survival mode. It often felt like the world was cracking open, revealing a deeper brokenness that could no longer be ignored.

But through those cracks, new light came in.

Seeing everything through a renewed lens helped me recalibrate my life’s purpose. I realized that even in chaos, I hold power. Influence. A voice. A capacity to make a difference—no matter how small—and that matters more now than ever.

This year also became a personal detox. A cleansing of habits, relationships, and beliefs I had silently outgrown. I learned to stop pouring so much of myself into people who didn’t honor, value, or reciprocate the love and compassion I gave so willingly. I stopped explaining away the red flags. I began trusting my intuition with the seriousness it deserved—especially when my body started signaling what my mind wanted to dismiss.

I learned to release people who breadcrumb, gaslight, or project their wounds onto others. Their actions reflect them, not me. Letting them go wasn’t a loss—it was liberation. It was choosing myself without apology.

And yet, this year wasn’t only about releasing—it was also about embracing.

I embraced the comfort of being recognized and complimented for my impact, something I once struggled to receive without shrinking or deflecting. I accepted the realities of life with more clarity, so I could face them head-on instead of avoiding the truth. I found strength in vulnerability, realizing it isn’t weakness—it’s authenticity. And I felt a renewed appreciation for the communities that have supported me over the years. Nurturing those connections felt like tending to the roots that have long held me steady.

This year, I wore my heart on my sleeve more boldly, while still keeping my private life sacred. That balance became its own quiet form of maturity.

Professionally, I was surrounded by business partners older and wiser than me—grounded individuals whose presence steadied my childlike energy in the best way. I also found comfort in saying no. No to the draining commitments. No to the distractions. No to what didn’t align with who I am becoming. It wasn’t about seeking more benefits—it was about becoming more pragmatic, more intentional, as my life continued to evolve.

This year was one of deliberate connections and healing reconnections. Of revisiting old patterns with compassion. Of showing up for myself—and for my life—with deeper consistency and presence.

As this year approaches its final chapter, I am full of gratitude—not because everything was easy, but because everything was transformative. I’m grateful for the storms that strengthened me, the truths that grounded me, the people who loved me through change, and the version of myself that is emerging with more clarity, softness, and courage.

A Gratitude Conclusion

So here’s to the journey—messy, beautiful, painful, powerful.

Here’s to every lesson that stretched me and every blessing that embraced me.

Here’s to the people who stayed, the people who left, and the people I met along the way.

Here’s to growth I didn’t ask for but needed, and to healing I didn’t expect but welcomed.

I am grateful for the love that shaped me, the challenges that refined me, and the quiet inner voice that kept guiding me home. Most of all, I’m grateful for the chance to begin again—wiser, lighter, and more aligned with who I truly am.

Here’s to letting go.

Here’s to rising again.

And here’s to choosing ourselves—boldly, softly, and with full gratitude.