06/20/2024
Where I was vs where I am. 186 days ago. 6 months and 3 days. Boy have things changed. My mom told me today⦠āAunt Wendi noticedā and I said ānoticed whatā ā¦.. she went on to tell me that my Aunt noticed that I was happy again, she said āthatās my Emileeā and for the longest time I couldnāt visually see the difference. I could see all the weight I lost, I could see how much therapy was helping me grow, I could see all of my physical progress, and bits and pieces of my mental progress as well. Happy now and thatās huge. But when I looked in the mirror I couldnāt see what everyone else did. Until I put these two pictures side by side. I donāt even know who that first girl is anymore. I look at her and I feel so much hurt for her. I feel sadness and pain for what she was going through. But I also look at her and I feel grateful as f**k that behind those sad, hollow eyes, there was a girl who was so damn strong. A girl who was never going to give up on herself and was never going to abandon herself. I shed a lot of tears over these past 186 days. Not for the bakery closing. I thought the tears that were shed were mainly for my (ex)fiancĆ© leaving, but the farther I get away from this I realize that a huge part of it was me grieving myself. A version of me that would never see the light of day again. A version of me that worked her ass off to create something incredible in Flour Child. A version of me that gave everything she had to that 800 sq ft store all while losing herself with every macaron she baked. I am thankful for her. So thankful for her. She allowed me to buy a home at 22. She allowed me to buy a car and my dream bus. She allowed me to travel and save. I am thankful for her ambition and drive. And I am thankful for me and my ability to see that it was time to let her go. As I look at these pictures and these two women, one I donāt recognize and one I know better than I ever thought I would, I canāt help but smile. I am so incredibly grateful for what was but I am even more grateful for what will be. ā¤ļø