I heard that promise many times before,
but what they meant is they wanted to take the world from me and replace it
with them.
They didn’t want to give me the world; rather they wanted to hide me from it. They were afraid for me to go out in the world without them. Afraid for me to connect to anyone, for fear I would leave them. Afraid for me to outdo them, outshine them.
You promised me the world, and you meant it.
The entire world of possibility.
Whatever I wanted to achieve, whatever I wanted to feel. Whatever joy, beauty, and love came my way. All you wanted for me was my happiness, and you were not threatened from where that happiness derived. Even if it wasn’t from you, directly.
I may not have always succeeded in my ambitions, but you? You would never be the one to stand in my way. No, on the contrary you would be the first to push me forward.
You wanted me to have the world.
It was only on me to to take it.
And I took a deep breath, a chance on myself, and I did.
….so I guess what I want to say is thank you. The world is, indeed, my oyster, and I couldn’t have done it without you.