I stopped caring about the appearance of the physical shell that is my body. Instead, I concerned myself only with the purifying and beautifying of my soul. I began feeding my heart all the good things: love, hope, courage and belief. I began caring for myself. I began loving myself. I began BEING MYSELF. The power of that was so great that I started to feel healthier, stronger, more energetic. I became healthier, stronger and more energetic and I CONTINUE to become healthier, stronger and more energetic. I came out of hiding, I started talking more, smiling more. I became braver, I felt safer, I built more trust and I took more risks. I risked reaching out, I asked for help from the universe, I asked for help from others, I began searching and grabbing at anything to serve this new purpose: this new path. I opened my mind. I began challenging everything, my thinking, my perspectives. Everything! It's not easy. There were and are moments where everything seems inside out and upside down. But! Amidst this chaos, I found BEAUTY. Beauty in everything around me, beauty in other people and even beauty in ME. Each and every day I feel more beauty. That openness, that growing awareness. That presence in the moment. The depth of being present. The depth of my experiences. The meaning!! Finally, I am learning to live! I am ALIVE! This is my life! I am seizing it. It is mine. I am full of INFINITE POTENTIAL. What a beautiful, wonderful, amazing thing to discover! I am beautiful!

~ Akiroq Brost