The Version of Me My Son Will Never Meet
The woman my son will know is not the woman who almost gave up. One day, my son will ask me questions about my life. He'll want to know what I was like before he was born. He'll probably laugh at old pictures, ask about my first job, wonder if I was ever "cool," and maybe even ask if I ever got in trouble. And when that day comes... There is one version of me he'll never truly meet. Not because I'll hide my story from him. But because that woman no longer exists. The Woman Before Healing Before my son, I was surviving more than I was living. I spent years carrying wounds I didn't know how to heal. I smiled through pain. I told everyone I was fine. I became really good at pretending everything was okay while quietly falling apart inside. I chased things that could never fill the emptiness. I looked for validation in places that couldn't love me back. I settled for less than I deserved because I didn't fully believe I deserved more. Some days I was c...
