When Approval Becomes a Cage 🕊

"Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner." — Lao Tzu

I scrubbed the kitchen floor at midnight
because she once said clean corners meant love.
Knuckles raw, knees aching,
still no softness in my chest,
just the quiet sound of my own obedience.

I fed my hunger to their comfort,
called it kindness,
wore it like cologne
no one ever complimented.

Tonight I left the mop water dirty
and dared the walls to judge me.
If peace costs every yes I never meant,
I’ll pay in full.

There was a season of my life where I made myself small for the sake of someone else’s comfort.

At work, I stayed quiet when I wanted to challenge decisions.
In friendships, I laughed at jokes that hurt me.
In love, I molded myself into a softer version. Less intense, less emotional, less me. Because I thought that was easier to love.

"I deserve peace more than I desire approval."

And for a while, I was praised for it.
People said I was agreeable. Reliable. Easygoing.

But inside, I was crumbling.
Not because they were cruel.
Because I had abandoned myself in the pursuit of their affection.

See, pea…