“The Wisdom is Found in the Journey” by Mandy Austin Cook
dear past self,
i forgive you.
i forgive you for the times you didn’t give me enough credit,
that you didn’t believe in me like you should.
i forgive you for all of your beating me ups,
all of your “i should have done better”s.
you did the best you could at the time,
for wisdom isn’t imparted in instant doses of immediate.
it’s acquired like marbles collected in a vase.
it takes TIME to understand
that it is the journey itself
that gives you your marbles.
what I absolutely REFUSE to DO
I WILL NOT LET YOU DEFINE ME.
I honor the good in you that you have cultivated,
and I release the hurt that you accidentally hoarded.
I wash it away like sand.
I love you. I forgive you. but you are NOT who I am now.
I will not allow others to judge me by you and I will NOT agree
to follow in your footsteps forever.
I ask you to allow me to flow into new definitions,
ocean waving the fullness of now without labels or
preconceived notions.
For who I am is Powerful.
I am a powerful breathtaking representation
of anything that I choose to become
AND THAT’S OKAY.
It’s okay for us to be two different people
Because the wisdom is found in the journey.