The child and the bear. The soft and the strong.

In my hands, I held the child I once was —

eager to please, quick to smile,

shaped by praise and quiet expectations.

And in my bones, I felt the rise of the bear —

grounded, fierce, no longer performing.

I used to think I had to choose.

Now I know:

healing is not about becoming one or the other.

It is about embracing both.

The one who learned to be good,

and the one who remembers how to be whole.

The one who was shaped to please,

and the one who dares to take up space. I Embrace Both