Submerge and Emerge

The skin that holds you together... as you grow, it may begin to squeeze you, feeling uncomfortable with yourself because you're not sure who this new person is.

Nothing is as you remember.

Your breath shortens, and your muscles tighten because your lungs have less space to move.

Conflicted and confused with myself, I let my skin squeeze me as tight as it could.

I curled up into a ball of blame and anger, and I sat with it for a while, until it hurt. The pain was hard to deal with, but it took my attention off of the pressure of my own skin turning in on me.

So I got up and walked with it for a while, until my skin called again, now squeezing my heart.

With every beat, my heart told me, 'You need to swim into the depths of yourself. You're shrinking. Find out how you grow.'

So I submerged myself into a pool of love, understanding, and trust.

My skin loosened its grasp on me and expanded. I inhaled all my lungs could, and when I let go, tears flowed.

I cried because when I could breathe again, every part of me opened, releasing the anger I hadn't realized I had, and embracing the love I let slip by.