𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 ..

little freedoms i am learning to allow myself

• to enjoy something without making it part of my identity.
• to have a preference without having an explanation.
• to change my mind without feeling that i've betrayed my former self.
• to be misunderstood occasionally without correcting every impression.
• to explain myself when i wish to be known, rather than when i fear being misunderstood.
• to make something beautiful without making something important.
• to admire someone without aspiring to become like them.
• to be inconsistent in little, harmless ways.
• to enjoy things that don't necessarily belong together.
• to leave a question unanswered until i have lived enough to understand it.
• to be a work in progress without treating myself as a problem to solve.
• to live a beautiful life without needing to prove that it is one.
• to be a little different tomorrow than i am today.
• to be a beginner at something without needing to become good at it.
• to leave something unfinished when it has already given me what i needed.
• to be proud of something without needing it to be admired.
• to keep some beautiful things entirely to myself.
• to outgrow something without disowning the person who once loved it.
• to revisit an old interest without having to return to my old ways.
• to create without turning every little idea into a project.
• to share my work without making myself responsible for how it is received.
• to enjoy being noticed without feeling obliged to remain visible.
• to be quiet without having to explain my absence.
• to be kind without being endlessly available.
• to disappoint someone without immediately assuming i've done something wrong.
• to say no to a lovely opportunity simply because it isn't right for me.
• to accept a compliment without diminishing what i've made.
• to have an ordinary day without searching for something extraordinary to accomplish.
• to rest before i've earned it.
• to enjoy a little luxury without having to justify its usefulness.
• to choose simplicity without having to reject everything elaborate.
• to be sentimental about things that others might find insignificant.
• to change my surroundings simply because i've grown fond of something new.
• to let some memories remain memories, without trying to recreate them.
• to feel nostalgic without wishing to return to the past.
• to be happy with what i have while still dreaming of what might come.
• to pursue a dream slowly, or discover along the way that i want something else.
• to be uncertain without rushing to borrow someone else's certainty.
• to learn from others without adopting every lesson as my own.
• to hold a belief gently enough that new understanding can find its way in.