Welcome,
And this is a space to gently meet the younger part of you,
The tiny human still within you,
Who has been there all along.
We'll reflect on the moments where joy once bloomed,
Where play was effortless,
And where fear first crept in.
Together,
We soften the edges between who we were and who we are now.
There's no pressure to fix,
Only to feel.
Begin by taking a breath in,
One that feels real,
One that says,
I'm here.
Let it fill your belly,
Let it open space behind your eyes,
And now let it go.
Somewhere inside of you,
A smaller version still lives,
Not lost,
Not gone,
Just tucked away.
They might be waiting,
Watching,
Sometimes reacting,
Sometimes just hoping to be remembered.
We often confuse reaction for weakness,
But it's often that small one,
Your younger self,
Trying to get your attention,
Reacting with fear,
With defensiveness,
With the ache of,
Do I matter?
That was the one who needed to feel safe,
The one who learned to fear before learning how to pause,
Before understanding that response could come from love,
Not urgency.
Where did play go?
When did joy become conditional?
When did stillness turn into guilt?
Close your eyes.
Can you picture them?
The tiny you,
Chasing butterflies or building forts,
Covered in paint,
Whispering secrets to the sky.
What did they love?
What did they fear?
What did they wish someone would say?
Let your hand rest over your heart or your belly.
And from today's you,
From the wiser,
Messier,
More compassionate version,
Whisper softly,
I see you.
You are still part of me.
You never had to grow up so fast.
I see you.
You are still part of me.
You never had to grow up so fast.
You are learning to respond now,
Not to fix,
But to understand.
You are reclaiming what it meant to be alive in your own body,
And what it means today.
You are learning to play again,
To rest again,
To feel joy that doesn't need to be earned.
What did joy feel like before you thought you had to deserve it?
Let your breath anchor you back to now,
Back to presence,
Back to softness.
And let the small one in you know you are not alone anymore.
Thank you for remembering,
For honoring the child within you without rushing their healing.
May you continue to meet yourself with softness.
May joy come back in ways you didn't expect.
May you feel whole,
Not because you're perfect,
But because you are real.
