Soul Letter : Becoming who I already am

When the next step isn't a goal but a homecoming

When I shared my unmasking, my neurodivergence, my sensitive ways, the truth of how I am in the world, a friend asked,
"Ah okay… what are the next steps?"

And I understand the question. I really do.
We are taught that difference requires direction. That the tender parts of us must be handled, managed, maybe even fixed.
But here’s the thing:

The next steps for me aren't about fixing.
They're about freeing.

The next steps are…

To live fully in my truth.
To take up space in ways that feel soft, safe, and soul-honoring.
To play, to dream, to create from the vast, kaleidoscopic wonder of my mind.
To enjoy my brain, not just tolerate it, not just manage it but rejoice in it.

To rest without guilt.
To say no without explanation.
To cancel plans if I need to.
To spend as much time in my cocoon as I wish, and not see that as hiding but healing.

The next steps are…

To speak to myself the way I wish the world had always spoken to me:
gently, lovingly, with deep compassion when things are hard,
when I’m overstimulated, overwhelmed,
when the world feels too fast and my heart needs slow.

To celebrate the people who see me, truly.
Who don’t require masks, or make me feel like I’m too much or not enough,
but simply love me as I am, in all my sensitivity and softness and soul-fire.

To spend time with those people.
To choose them.
And to let go of the rest.

The next steps are…

To notice when my boundaries melt like wax in the sun.
To lovingly remind myself that I’m allowed to bring them closer again.
To not apologize for needing space, silence, or simplicity.
To trust my nervous system’s wisdom.

To build a life that is not shaped by what I should do,
but by what I deeply, truly need to thrive.

So no, my next steps won’t look like prescriptions or programs.
They’ll look like petals unfolding, like deep breaths, like skipping stones and golden afternoons where I simply am.

They’ll look like creativity and light and silence and softness.
They’ll look like joy and slowness and fierce, gentle boundaries.

They’ll look like me…free.

Because I am not a problem to be solved.
I am a person to be loved.
And that begins with me.

With all my heart,
Emily x
HeartWild