The Peace I Chose

Somewhere along the line, I stopped begging to be understood. I stopped shrinking myself just to fit into rooms that made me feel invisible. I realised I was being too considerate in situations where I wasn’t even considered. I kept trying to keep the peace, but it was costing me mine.

It wasn’t a sudden change. It was quiet. Soft. Like turning down the volume on the noise I used to tolerate. I started watering what watered me, only giving my time and love to people who made me feel safe, seen, and supported.

Now, distance is my new response. I don’t return energy. I remove myself. No fights. No noise. Just silence and space where I can breathe again.

I’ve also stopped being reasonable with people who are unreasonable with me. My peace doesn’t require that kind of labor anymore. I used to bend so far backwards trying to earn gentleness, until I saw how that broke me.

So this is where I am now. Choosing myself, not out of anger, but out of love. The soft kind. The kind that says: I deserve peace too.

And if you’re reading this, maybe your heart is ready for peace, too. Start there.

Oluwademilade from MANI