Inspired by a dream of watching the past sail away, this is a reflection on closure, growth, and choosing peace — without reopening old doors or old versions of love.

There is a moment before healing where you feel like you’re drowning—reaching for the light but pulled under by everything you’ve been carrying. This is the story of what happens in that space, the quiet place where survival turns into awakening.

We can’t control life’s weather, but we can learn how to show up for ourselves in it. Healing is knowing what you need to stay emotionally warm on the cold days.

Eight months ago, in the middle of a raw season of my life, I wrote a letter I never planned to share. It was the voice of the woman I used to be — the one who settled, who hoped, who ached. Today, I’m sharing it as a part of my healing and as a reminder to any woman walking through heartbreak that she deserves more than the bare minimum.

A personal reflection on healing after survival mode, rebuilding self-worth, and slowly returning home to myself.