Part 4: Mistakes (The Kind That Reshape Us)
Mistakes.
We all make them.
Sometimes they’re just small stumbles — moments we brush off and keep moving.
Other times, they feel like earthquakes… leaving behind cracks we fear will never heal.
I’ve let people into my life who hurt me deeply.
Some were toxic in ways I couldn’t see at first.
Others I let in because I desperately wanted to believe in their goodness.
And even when they hurt me, I held on — longer than I should have.
I kept making space, hoping things would change.
But here’s what I’ve come to understand:
Even the people who wound us shape our stories.
They show us where our boundaries lie.
They teach us what we will no longer tolerate.
And sometimes — they deliver the hardest lesson of all:The art of letting go.
Forgiveness isn’t about excusing someone’s behaviour.
It’s about reclaiming your peace.
I’ve forgiven people not because they asked for it —
but because I needed freedom more than I needed closure.
Carrying anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to suffer.
And I’ve swallowed enough of that in my life.
So I choose to set the cup down.
Letting go of toxic ties doesn’t make you cold or unkind.
It makes you wise.
It says: I value my peace. I value my future. I value me.
And that doesn’t mean I hold hate in my heart.
I don’t.
I wish healing on those who hurt me — but from a distance.
Far away from my nervous system.
Far away from my children.
Far away from my joy.
Because compassion has a place.
But self-protection does too.
I will no longer set myself on fire to keep someone else warm.
I choose love.
I choose peace.
I choose to forgive — not for them,
but for me.
