Seven months ago, I wrote a poem called Cocoon of Healing. At the time, I don’t think I completely understood what I was writing.

Have you ever looked back at something you wrote and wondered if your heart knew something before you did?

I think mine did.

My heart has always been protecting me, pulling me into a world that became smaller with time. It happened so discreetly that I didn’t even notice it.

In that poem, I wrote about building a cocoon around myself to protect me from the outside world.

Do you know what is interesting?

I really thought I knew why I was in there. I needed a place to heal from the pain I had been through. My cocoon gave me that place.

What I didn’t realize was that something else was happening inside there too.

I was changing.

Taking the time to slow down and listen helped me understand that my cocoon had given me the protection I needed while I healed. Then came the day when I was ready to see what was waiting outside.

One foot stepped out, cautiously waiting to see if it was safe.

Something felt different.

Instead of stepping out with my second foot, I reached out to see what was holding me back. That’s when I began to stretch.

I found my wings.

Somewhere along the way, I had become the butterfly I once only dreamed about.

These wings gave me a chance to see the world that had always fascinated me. I didn’t have to fly everywhere at once. I could follow my curiosity, land somewhere that interested me, and take the time to discover what was waiting there.

When I was ready, I could spread my wings and return home.

Something became clearer to me along the way.

Coming out of my cocoon didn’t mean leaving the safety of my world behind. Home would always be there.

The difference was that now I had wings.

I could choose when I wanted to fly.

You know what surprised me the most?

I like the woman I am becoming.

For so long, I was trying to find my way back to the person I used to be, never considering there might be someone else waiting for me.

She still likes coming home. She still needs her own space. That part of me hasn’t disappeared.

Now she has wings.

The best part wasn’t what I expected.

I thought I was getting myself back.

I found more of me instead.