I came across this poem as one of my coworkers shared it on my workgroup thread. I don't normally pay attention to random, non-work-related posts on there unless it pertains to me. Turned out it did pertain to me, not in a direct but a relatable way.
This poem started with the concept of self-care, one thing I preach incessantly but need to actually apply more in my life but wrapped up with the lesson of not giving up on yourself...no matter what.
What got me was the part when the author says you will die many times in your life only to recreate yourself. I look back and realized yes, the old me has died, or better yet, the old me has always been there buried underneath my pretentious self. But I'm back. Bolder. Better. Brewing another life, a boy, so to speak. And the old me has been there all this time. She was never lost.
And so every decision that felt like death to me a few years back because it started the end of something in my life, I now accept as a precious gift.
Don’t Abandon Yourself
— Jeannette Encinias
Not when you’re sick.
Not when you’re tired.
Not when you’ve lost
the thread
the thought
or the thing you thought
defined you.
You will die many times
in one life
and create yourself
anew.
This is natural.
This is a gift.
I’ve died a few times now
here in this world.
The person I was—
gone.
Throw that older skin into the water.
Give it to the sky.
Step into what wants to emerge now.
Nothing can hold you back
when you are willing
to be yourself
XOXO,
Wella
