DailyPrompt—2141

If I had a magic wand, maybe I would change how I feel about myself—
but even as I write that, I realise it isn’t true.

I grew up being taught that loving yourself was selfish, egotistical… something “good girls” didn’t do. Praise felt like shame, confidence felt like rebellion, and taking up space felt like a sin. That kind of conditioning doesn’t vanish overnight; it becomes the air you breathe until you consciously learn to breathe differently.

But the past is a teacher, not a prison.

I’ve spent years rewiring those old beliefs, learning—slowly, gently—to show myself the care I give so freely to others. I taught my children what I was never allowed to learn:
that self-love is not arrogance; it’s survival.
It’s a soft revolution.
It’s the beginning of every healing.

So what would I change about myself?

Honestly… nothing.
I am who I am—scars, depths, storms, softness, all the chapters that shaped me.
I am not a victim of life.
I am a veteran of my battles.
Here I am.
I remain.

💫 Maggie —

The Afterlove Voice💫