Growing up where I did, I learned that responsibility is beautiful and necessary. That work matters. That you don't wait around for perfect conditions—you just do what needs doing. And all of that is still true, and I'm still grateful for it 💪 But I think what I'm learning now is that there's a difference between respecting those values and thinking they're the only way to live.

The village taught me discipline and purpose. But maybe the best thing for me now is to take those values and figure out how they work in MY life, not just repeat what my parents did or what their parents did 🌸 Maybe I need to ask: what does responsibility look like for me? What does work mean to me? How can I honor the strength I learned without feeling like I have to squeeze myself into an exact replica of the life I grew up with?

I think the best thing for me is to stop feeling guilty for wanting different things sometimes 🙏 To remember that being strong and capable doesn't mean I have to do everything the old way. I can love my roots AND explore new paths. I can value work AND value rest. I can be a woman who knows her own strength without having to prove it constantly.

Maybe that's the next step—bringing the best parts of where I come from forward, but not letting it be a cage 💫