This is a note for anyone who’s ever felt they had to compartmentalize themselves to be accepted.
Today I am going to write something even more personal from me to you because I think someone out there needs permission to stop splitting themselves into pieces.
After reading yesterday’s post, you might be wondering:
“What on Earth could she be sharing today, considering her previous post?”
First off, if you are new here, start with the aforementioned previous post, “Winter Has Never Been My Season.”
Well, for a long time, I believed I had to present myself in pieces, depending on the room and who was in it with me.
- There was the professional version for certain spaces.
- The creative for private hours.
- The spiritual kept soft, quiet, tucked away like something too tender to carry out loud.
I am choosing to write this here, because maybe, just maybe, you know that feeling too.
Like you have to edit yourself down to what’s easiest to understand. Like your joy needs a label, to be understood by others, to be valid and accepted in that room you are in. Like your depth needs to be toned down so it doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable.
But here’s what I have learned–slowly, and sometimes the hard way:
We are not meant to be split.
We are not meant to be sorted into neat categories or compressed into one “acceptable” identity. You can be intelligent and imaginative at the very same time, and one does not detract from the other; it actually enhances it.
You can be grounded and whimsical.
You can be logical and deeply feeling.
You can be ambitious and devoted.
You can love structure and still crave mystery.
You can be all of it, every single piece, even when it doesn’t “make sense” to others. I think it is because somewhere along the timeline, we were taught to be neat. Categorized. Easier to place. Easier to collect, even.
And when you challenge that narrative of old, when you stop apologizing for your complexity, well, something beautiful happens.
Your life starts to feel like it belongs to you again.
That’s what I hope this space becomes– a soft space to land for the parts of you that don’t fit into just one box. A reminder that integration isn’t messy or confusing…it’s powerful! It’s the most honest kind of strength and bravery.
It is also how this story came to be. This story holds the parts of me I used to keep separate.
Sera, Lily & The Fox Prince is a portal, yes…but it’s also a mirror. It holds the themes I return to again and again: trust, courage, friendship, the ache of winter, the pull of the unknown…and the quiet, steady truth that love isn’t always loud, but it is always real.
If you’ve ever felt pulled between who you are and who you’re “supposed” to be, this story was written for you, too.
So if you’ve ever felt like you had to shrink yourself to be understood…
This is your reminder:
You are who you are–every part of you.
The most powerful lives are integrated ones.
And the most meaningful work is the kind that stays true across every room you walk into.
Welcome to the adventure that I call mine.
Leave a comment below if you are brave enough, tell me: “Where have you had to split yourself–work, creativity, faith, parenthood, relationships?”
–Sabrina Giacalone
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