Sincerely Me, Between Growth & Grace

Inspired by Misha

This past weekend was a much needed relaxing reset with new energy, new pages, and new vibes. My homegirl and I went to the bookstore to grab our usual reads, and of course I made my way straight to the mystery section like I always do.

But this time, something different caught my attention.

Not a mystery book.

Just something about it pulled me in quietly. I read the first page… then the second… and before I knew it, I was standing at self-checkout, ringing it up and watching it slide into the bag like it was meant to come home with me.

No overthinking. No plan. Just instinct.

And that felt like something in itself.

Not every lesson is loud. Some arrive quietly while you’re turning pages.

They don’t announce themselves with warnings or dramatic moments. They don’t always come wrapped in something painful or obvious. Sometimes they slip in between paragraphs, hidden in a sentence you almost skimmed past. And suddenly, something in you pauses not because the world demanded it, but because something finally made sense in a way it didn’t before.

Sometimes while reading a book like that, you start noticing things you used to overlook without question ; patterns you normalized, habits tied to survival instead of peace, how much energy goes into proving yourself, where your boundaries are weak, and how differently you treat yourself compared to others.

And that’s what happened to me.

While I was reading, I started noticing my own actions how much I was pouring into others while quietly neglecting myself. Always showing up, always giving, always being available… but not always being that same presence for me.

I need to start learning how to be my own best friend again. Not in theory, but in practice. Checking in with myself. Choosing myself without guilt. Pouring back into the parts of me I’ve been giving away so freely.