The Gilded Cage
"
At eighteen, I had been like a wildflower—tough, resilient, unyielding.
Even on a barren cliffside, a wildflower could break through stone, shake off the dust, and reach for the sun and rain.
Maybe I once strayed down the wrong path.
Maybe I had been lost and struggling.
But in the end, I reached for myself and pulled myself out of the darkness.
Thankfully, at thirty-five, I was still that same person.
I lost myself once. But I found my way back.
And so, I smiled—light, free, at peace.