We are shaped by so many forces—some harsh, some gentle, some inherited, some chosen. As I look back on my life, I can see how both hardship and privilege have pushed me forward in ways I never expected. The hard moments cracked me open; the privileged moments offered me space to breathe, reset, and try again. But the real turning points were always the choices I made in between.
This piece is the story of how I moved from living in cages—of expectation, fear, perfectionism, and “good girl” narratives—to beginning a journey of learning, healing, and becoming. It’s about mental illness and liberation, losing myself and finding a voice, rediscovering joy in learning at nearly 50, and choosing courage when comfort was no longer an option.
If anything resonates, may it be this: life pushes us from both sides. What we do with that push becomes our becoming.
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