My Voice, My Boundaries

I have kept quiet for so long.

Not speaking my truth.

Never sharing my quiet wisdom.

Feeling smothered by layers of guilt.

Feeling awkward and timid.

Questioning, “who would want to hear my voice?”

Something within my very being began to exhale.

Pushing through the self-doubt,

Scraping away toxic thought patterns,

Crawling out of muddy waters of unhealthy speech.

I could not withstand this silence of mine!

I cannot surrender to this lifeless existence of not being heard.

I spoke for the first time.

I uttered my truth.

Stumbling upon words

Not yet accustomed to the sounds, nuances of my voice.

I did not care.

It was me.

It was my harmony.

It was my story to be told.

And this is what I said…

These are my boundaries.

Created out of love, compassion, and celebration of self.

I am showing you how to treat me with these walls of protection.

Only I can determine

what I need and do not need.

Can you respect them?

Honor them?

If not, I will understand.

And I will continue this new path of mine.