I get lost easily.

I eat popcorn too quickly.

I cry at the drop of a hat.

I need alone time every day.

I feel awkward approaching groups.

I get grouchy without enough sleep.

I can’t handle violent movies or graphic news.

I get controlling when I’m anxious.

For decades, I tried to change these things. But I couldn’t.

I’ll never forget the day I finally told myself:

“You still do that thing you do. And it’s not going to change today. It’s okay. You’re okay. Just be yourself.”

Letting go of the urge to "fix" myself created space to simply be me.

And then something beautiful happened:

accepting myself without conditions made it easier to embrace my child’s natural inclinations.

The way she exhaled when I said, “Take your time.”

The way she craved silence in the mornings.

The way she lingered in long goodbyes.

The way she approached new things slowly.

I realized the greatest gift I could give her was the same one I gave myself:

the freedom to sigh with relief, knowing she didn’t need to change to be worthy of love.

Her quirks, her rhythms, her way of being, add color and texture to her unique, beautiful fabric. Just like mine.

Maybe all of us are waiting for someone to say:

“You don’t have to become someone else to be loved here.”

What a relief to discover we were allowed to be human all along.

My hand in yours,

Rachel