Happy New Year to every woman reading this who is living, thriving, healing and still choosing herself!
I welcomed this year in Myrtle Beach, just seven weeks after knee replacement surgery. My body was still healing, rest would have been easier, and being there required real sacrifice, but I felt a deep pull to keep showing up for my life... to learn, to grow and to stretch beyond what felt comfortable. Not out of pressure, but out of love for myself and the woman I'm becoming.
Living with HIV teaches us how to survive, but survival isn't the same as living fully. One thing that's been settling in my spirit is how important boundaries truly are. When our peace depends on other people, on their understanding, acceptance or consistency, we end up carrying more than we should. Healing means creating space where your nervous system can rest. It means knowing when to step back, when to say no, and when to protect your energy without explanation. Advocacy begins with self-protection.
Another truth is the power of showing up for yourself, even gently. Momentum doesn't come from pushing harder, it comes from staying connected to yourself. Taking care of your body. Honoring your healing timeline. Speaking up in medical spaces. Allowing rest without guilt. Choosing yourself again and again, even when it feels quiet or unseen.
And finally, what you tell yourself matters. For many of us, the loudest stigma lives inside. The voice that whispers you should accept less, stay small or be grateful just to be tolerated. That voice is not truth. You are worthy of safety, softness, honesty, and love ... starting with your own.
This year doesn't require perfection.
It doesn't ask you to carry everything.
It simply invites you to live with intention.
If anything is possible, we are no longer choosing less.
