Not All That Glitters Is Gold

As a child, I dreamed of being happy.

I didn’t yet know what that happiness would bring.

I only had that feeling. That thought.

That nameless certainty.

Over time, I was taught

that happiness was found in having things.

Things that glittered.

Titles.

Successes.

Validations.

Well-paved paths.

And I followed them.

I followed that sparkle everyone chased.

I got lost in the lights of the world,

in golden promises,

in a success that never filled me.

Yes, I achieved goals.

I had attention.

But I didn’t have

that glow gold holds in its veins,

that weight in carats

my soul had longed for

since I was a child.

My true gold was hidden

beneath layers of what society

teaches you to desire.

But one day, I discovered…

True gold

doesn’t show on social media,

nor sits in bank accounts.

Gold is in the simple things.

Having calm.

Peace.

A quiet, aligned life.

Then I began to clearly hear the child whispering inside me, and everything made sense.

That was it.

That was my purpose.

That was gold.

So I let go.

I let go of imposed glitter.

I followed the light of my truth.

It didn’t shine in the eyes of the world,

but it burned within.

Today, I no longer chase the gold shown to me.

I follow the gold that ignites me.

And if it doesn’t shine on the outside,

it doesn’t matter.

Because I learned

that what glows inside

will shine a thousand times more

than the gold of an imposed replica.

It only takes courage.

And a soul brave enough to choose it.