Don’t miss me. I found myself.

“If you miss me, just remember I’m as far as you pushed me.”

And to be honest, that got me to thinking: I let you push me that far.

I kept standing in spaces that had no room for me. I kept handing out second chances like peace was something I could afford to lose. You didn’t lose me in one big moment, you lost me slowly. In the texts you ignored. In the effort I excused. In the boundaries I kept promising to set, but didn’t. And that’s on me.

Because I taught you how to treat me. I showed you that my forgiveness came with no consequence. I thought love meant staying, when it really meant knowing how to stop trying.

So if you ever start to miss me, don’t romanticize the memory. Because what you miss isn’t me, it’s the version of yourself that felt seen by my patience. You miss the peace that covered your chaos. The grace that made your guilt feel gentle.

But I miss something too.

I miss the version of me that thought love could fix people. For real.

I miss the innocence that confused endurance with loyalty.

I miss the peace I sacrificed just to say, “I tried.”

I’m not angry. I’m just aware. And awareness will free you faster than bitterness ever could.

So if you ever start to miss me, miss me knowing this: I’m not better than you. I’m just better at recognizing when I start betraying myself.

And this time, I choose to be loyal to my healing instead of my history. Because the truth is, I didn’t walk away out of pride. I walked away because my peace was starving in a place my pain kept feeding.

So if you ever start to miss me, just remember I’m standing exactly where your distance left me. But for once, I’m not waiting on you to reach me.

I finally reached myself.

And that’s the version of me I’ll never lose again.