This year, change chose me, and I accepted the offer with fear but excitement. What a difference a year can make, a year of starting fresh, dying, then growing back into yourself. Transformation is something that I’ve learned to accept instead of reject. I started the year open and vulnerable to the world and ended it in hiding. Growth from within has been a mixture of courage, focus, and extreme self-love. In my moments of defeat and overwhelming fear, I’ve learned to stop everything and breathe. Moments of uncertainty eventually became moments of healing and reassurance, reminders that I’m more than enough. I let my journey be and chose not to interfere. I knew growth wasn’t going to be pretty, and I was okay with that and whatever it meant for me as I tackled another 365. I saw changes in many forms when I allowed myself space and time to nurture all of me. For the entirety of the year, I’ve felt like a caterpillar in a cocoon waiting for my big reveal. Metamorphosis is the inevitable change that is GROWTH. The wait, the pain that follows, and the strength it takes to be patient in hope for your best self. I finally feel free.