our smile starts to fade.
The expectations, the fear of failure plague your mind.
“I don’t deserve this.”
“I need to do better.”
Suddenly, shackles tie your soul to a heavy boulder in the deep abyss of water.
You try to resist, fighting the constant tug of the shackles.
Eventually, you give in.
You curl yourself into a cocoon and let yourself be embraced by the numbing water.
After all, ‘it’s where you belong.’

One day you yell out a whisper.
A desperate cry— loud enough for people to hear.

They dive deep into the water,
Reaching out their steady, loving hands.
Others cast light upon you,
Light that never felt deserved.
The shackles break, freeing you.
Slowly, you tread back up to the surface—
To a place with warmth and love, right where you belong.