Choosing to stay when everything says leave is an act of quiet defiance—one that demands resilience, self-reflection, and the courage to face the weight of past wounds. In this journey, I confront the struggle of being misunderstood, the burden of breaking generational cycles, and the ache of holding on when the past won’t let go. Yet, despite the exhaustion of overthinking and the fear that I may never be enough, I remain—choosing to stay, not out of ease, but out of a refusal to let the world strip me of my ability to love, to care, and to hope.