Some days I don’t have the energy to be soft.

Not because I’m angry… but because I’ve spent too many years pouring from an empty cup and calling it love.

I’m learning something at this stage of my life that I wish I learned sooner:

I don’t have to chase people.

I don’t have to explain myself a hundred different ways just to be understood.

And I don’t have to shrink my feelings to make someone else more comfortable.

There’s a certain kind of peace that comes when you stop trying to fix everything you didn’t break.

When you stop feeding attention-seeking behavior with your own emotional energy.

When you finally realize… it’s not your job to make other people act right.

It’s your job to protect your heart, your home, and your sanity.

Today I’m not pretending I’m “fine.”

I’m tired. I’m human.

And I’m choosing peace anyway.

~Anne Dennish~