the growth that has happened in me

growth takes courage

it requires looking within

and at times enduring pain

and some suffering

but that is ok

because without 

challenge

we would just 

stay the same

i am learning to 

accept all that comes

because if i truly 

want to explore

and stretch

my own limits

i have to 

get uncomfortable 

at times

but i’m also learning 

i can pace growth

it doesn’t have to go 

too far or too fast

no need to be in a race

growth will come when 

we need or want it

it can come in stages

true growth makes us lighter

and more free

just like little kids who grow

every minute

i hope to stay childlike 

in this way

to never let 

my zest for living 

slip away

or overwhelm myself 

with growth

at too fast a pace

because the best kind 

should “stretch or call”

not “push or force”

it is like

the infamous butterfly

once a caterpillar 

and moving along the ground

then one day wings slowly emerge

because growth is about flying

and feeling the air around us

we need that open space

but not too much

just enough to keep expanding

to look out across the water

and wonder what could be

but also to stay present

and sometimes to look back

just to see

the growth 

that has happened in me