I used to feel too big for every room I was in. My personality. My physicality. So I wore clothes that made me feel small. I’d chew on my lips to tuck them in. And I moved through the world in ways that protected other people’s peace and comfort more than my own freedom to be myself.

Living smaller than I was backfired and built up this desire to be seen for who I am. But by the time I wanted to be seen, I’d spent so long shrinking myself that I no longer knew who that was.

So you follow the loudest, most assertive voices among the people you love most, trusting that they wouldn’t steer you wrong. But when you get there, you realize the life you’ve been led toward doesn’t feel like your own.

And you didn’t leave breadcrumbs to find your way back to where you started. So wherever you are, there you are.

The good thing is, every day gives us a chance to try something new. To take a step in any direction and notice what feels good, what feels right. What feels like sunshine. What feels like you.

Maybe the path of self-discovery begins right where you are, with enough room to be yourself and enough curiosity to find out who that is.