Yesterday, I found myself in deep conversation with the one I loved.

Shadow work.
Never easy. Always self-protected.

To know your shadow is to know yourself; and when you know yourself, everything else that didn’t matter seems to dissipate.

I’ve done the work, y’all! Now, my pudding holds proof of rich taste and sweet synergetic blends. I finally practice what I preach and preach what I practice.

I have gained wisdom through turmoil, through downfall, and through the pain. ⚖️

I stand tall in knowing that, inside, I hold the key to a life that is written in my name—a world that recognizes the talent hidden within this brown-skinned exoskeleton of mine.

I understand that to get to the root, you’ve got to go through the mud; there’s no other way around it. 🧱

So many people do not want to do the true work that is needed to reach their potential—to evolve, to blossom, and to bloom.

➜ Do you think that this is comfortable?

Do you think that it’s our first instinct to jump headfirst into waters that we’ve told our deepest, darkest secrets to? 🌊

The greatest lie we tell ourselves is that we are okay.

Shadow work is the shit you shove back immediately or subconsciously, each and every single time.

Either by default or by choice—we’re doing it. 🔄

Protection.

That’s the name of the game.

Self-protection and the blame game.

It’s not about who wins; it’s about the understanding. It’s about the ability to communicate through a system that is hardwired from trauma and manipulation. 🧠

I feel like in this past month, I have done more growing and more shedding of myself than ever before.

I have crawled into a void and back out again. 🌑 ➜ 🌕

Silence is where I find peace, and peace has become my silence.

Everyday, I am a new woman because I choose the things that will cause her to bloom. To blossom. To stand tall. 🌻

Planted.
And I am that sunflower stalk buried deep within the soil—firm, unsoiled. Here’s what I’ve learned about being a sunflower in the weeds:

➞ You have to constantly water yourself and care for yourself through all weather.

➞ You've got to know if one of your seeds is spoiling the others.

➞ You have to listen when you’ve spread yourself too thin and know when to pull yourself back.

➞ You have to be willing to put yourself in the dirt to grow, again and again. 🌱

Looking inward is never easy, but it’s the only way to evolve, to grow, and to love. 🖤 You can’t love someone if you can’t love yourself.

Today, like every day, you have a choice.

Choose life ➜ Choose love ➜ Choose you. ✨

Wishing you peace, blessings, and much happiness. 🙏🏾

Until next time, happy healing.

—Nëb 🍒