Things I No Longer Apologize For

I no longer apologize

for needing space

before I answer a message,

return a call,

or show up with energy I don’t have.

I no longer apologize

for the volume of my laugh,

or the silence that follows

when I don’t feel like speaking.

I no longer apologize

for taking up space in a room

just by being in it

without shrinking, adjusting, or earning my right to stay.

I no longer apologize

for walking away from people

who make me doubt myself

more than they make me feel seen.

I no longer apologize

for being “too sensitive,”

for crying at music,

or shutting down when the room feels too loud.

I no longer apologize

for changing.

For becoming softer

and stronger

at the same time.

I no longer apologize

for choosing rest

over hustle,

healing over hiding,

peace over approval.

I no longer apologize

for my boundaries,

for my softness,

for saying “no,”

for saying “yes” to things that others don’t understand

I no longer apologize

for being a work in progress

who still deserves love—

even on the messy days,

especially then.