You know...

You know what hurts the most?

It wasn't the gifts.

It wasn't the money.

It wasn't the things.

It was you.

I didn't want perfection. I didn't need expensive dates or grand gestures. I just wanted to love you, feel safe with you, and know that I was accepted for who I was.

I let you be yourself. Your passions, your flaws, your dreams, your personality... I loved all of it.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped feeling like there was room for me to be me.

That's a heartbreaking realization.

One of the hardest lessons I've learned, and one I wrote about in Rising Strong, is this:

"Love and respect aren't optional. They're the bare minimum."

For a long time, I kept wondering what I could change about myself to make things work. But another reminder from my book keeps coming back to me:

"You don't need to settle for anything less."

Healing isn't about finding someone who accepts only the polished parts of you.

It's about remembering that the real you... the messy, emotional, growing, healing you... deserves to feel safe, seen, and loved too.

Maybe losing the relationship isn't the greatest loss.

Maybe losing yourself inside it is.

And maybe... finding yourself again is where the real story begins.