You know better now.

It came to me the other night, as all the best thoughts do, while I was drifting between waking and sleep.

I am so afraid of the feelings of unworthiness, of being unloved and unwanted, that I often hide in my shell, refusing to take chances.

But the truth is that those feelings cannot hurt me – not anymore. Because I know that I am worthy. I know that I am loved, if only by myself. I know that I can love myself well.

I remember the feelings. I remember how much they hurt when I was a young child who didn’t know any better, or a teen who couldn’t see beyond the pain of the moment. And the memory of those feelings is painful.

But no one can ever make me feel those awful feelings again, because even if they reject me, I no longer believe the story that carried the power to hurt me. I no longer believe that I am unworthy, that I don’t deserve to exist, that no one could ever love me.

The worst anyone can do these days is to bring up the memories of that pain. And while the memories hurt, they don’t carry the power of the original feelings.

I hope you know that you are worthy. I hope you love yourself with all the strength of the sun and the steadfastness of the moon. I hope you know that no one has the power to hurt you anymore the way they once did.

You know better now.