Becoming Softer

My edges, like the edges of countless others, hardened not by preference but by necessity—each sharp corner, each vigilant boundary becoming a living testament to what we have endured when softness felt like an unaffordable luxury in hostile landscapes. These armored aspects of ourselves deserve our deepest reverence rather than our rejection. They represent not character flaws but evolutionary brilliance, adaptations perfectly calibrated to environments that demanded such responses. My vigilance detected threats before they fully materialized. My self-reliance meant I was never at the mercy of unreliable support. My achievement-orientation propelled me forward when stillness felt like surrender to despair. These weren't maladaptations—they were sophisticated survival strategies, perfectly executed.