When Loving My Enemy Led Me Back to Me

I learned to love my enemy

the day I realized

my only enemy

was the version of me

who kept abandoning herself

to be chosen by people

who never had the capacity.

So I chose myself.

fully, fiercely,

without apology.

The fire in me never died;

it only dimmed

when I poured warmth

into hands too cold and ignorant

to hold me.

I let the unaligned fall apart,

like branches releasing fruit

that was never meant

to ripen in my season.

Purpose called me forward.

Grace steadied my steps.

And every time I faced the mirror,

I saw a woman returning

to the place she always belonged.

I stopped shrinking

to soothe egos.

I stopped bending

to accommodate people

who confused access

with entitlement.

Because entitlement is loud,

arrogance is blind,

and emotional intelligence

is a language

not everyone is willing to learn.

I learned to walk away

from those who take without giving,

who demand without reflecting,

who want your light

but refuse to grow their own.

And after wandering so long,

I found where I belong…

in rooms that honor my presence,

in spaces that match my spirit,

in futures that feel like home.

Now I rise with intention,

with clarity,

with a heart aligned to truth.

And this is my sacred call to action:

Choose yourself.

Protect your peace.

Walk toward your purpose

even if your voice shakes.

Let what is not aligned

fall away without ceremony.

And step boldly

into the greatness

that has been waiting

for you to arrive.