Small Acts of Courage

Let this be the season where
you keep watering
the good seeds
you've already sown.

These seeds of love,
courage, and peace
matter more than you know.

For maybe the good seeds you sow
are not isolated events,
but small seeds
slowly blooming
throughout the garden of your life.

And the small good seeds you sow
might be like the smallest thing:

A moment when you ask for what you need,
even though, in the past,
you may have backed down
or told yourself it didn't matter.

A moment when you choose to talk about
how something actually made you feel,
when in the past, you may have just said, "It's fine.”

A moment when you realize that you needed 
to allow yourself to feel what you need to feel,
and take the time you need to heal.

A moment when you take the time to
do something for yourself, when in the past,
you would've told yourself you didn't deserve it yet.

A moment you chose to prioritize your mental health,
opting to slow down and rest,
even though a few years ago,
you would have pushed relentlessly forward.

A moment when you acted on love,
practiced breathing deeply,
noticed how, even in the smallest way,
there is room for healing, growing, becoming.

Even if it was just one moment
or a series of small moments,
and whether or not the outcome of that moment
was what you hoped it would be,
it doesn't take away from the fact that you are still on the journey,
learning to name your needs,
learning when to say "yes," and "no,"
and learning to breathe deep through it all.

The growth may not happen all at once,
but you can remember what gardeners know…
Taking time to learn how to cultivate and nurture this space,
Taking time to learn what works and what doesn't — it matters.
It won't be easy, but the time you are spending here matters.

There will be days when the sun is too bright,
and days where the rain pours longer, harder, sooner, or later than expected,
and at the same time,
there will be moments when you remember:
you are learning to make room for new seeds,
and you are also learning to water the ones you have already sown,
You are learning what it means to breathe deeply and in a million little ways.
You are learning what it means to grow.