I used to chase shadows,
people with smiles like mirages—
looked like love from a distance
but vanished when I got too close.
I gave my best to hands
that never held me back.
Poured my soul into empty cups
hoping they’d overflow
when they barely even dripped effort.
You ever bend over backwards
just to stand in someone’s good graces?
Ever dim your light
so theirs could shine uninterrupted?
I did that.
Until I realized…
God never made me a doormat.
He made me a door.
To newness.
To growth.
To peace.
And only the right people have the key.
I’m done auditioning
for roles I didn’t ask to play.
Done trying to earn a seat
at tables that never fed me truth.
I don’t want empty “I love you’s”
that come with conditions
and walk away at the first sign
of my realness.
Choose the ones
who choose you back—
not just when it’s easy,
not just when you’re smiling
and nothing’s cracked.
But the ones who stay
when your voice trembles,
your past leaks through your pores,
and your scars sing louder than your dreams.
Pick the ones who
don’t just clap for you
when you’re winning,
but coach you
when you’re crawling.
The ones who tell you,
“You can be better.”
Not because you aren’t enough,
but because they see the fire
behind your tired eyes.
They don’t throw water on your flame—
they fan it.
Choose people
who pray for you
in rooms you’re not in.
Who speak your name
like it’s sacred,
not a rumor.
Who call you out with love,
not shade.
Who hold you accountable
but never hold you hostage
to your past self.
We all need that tribe—
the ones who tell you
“Rest, but don’t quit.”
“Cry, but don’t break.”
“Grow, even when it’s slow.”
Those who remind you
that healing isn’t linear,
but it’s worth every step.
So now,
I water who waters me.
I pour where I’m poured into.
I build with those
who hand me bricks,
not burdens.
I no longer beg to belong.
I belong to myself,
and that’s enough.
Because when you start
choosing people
who choose you,
you stop apologizing
for outgrowing those
who never saw your value
in the first place.
So choose the encouragers.
The uplifters.
The soul-expanders.
The mirror-holders
who show you your reflection
and still stay—
not to judge,
but to journey.
Because love—real love—
doesn’t shrink you.
It stretches you
into someone
you were always meant to be.
Choose wisely.
Your circle is sacred.
Let it only include
those who light you up,
not burn you out.
Choose people
who make you
a better person…
and never let go of the ones
who already do.
(Pause)
So to the ones who stayed…
who saw the mess and chose the masterpiece—
Thank you.
And to the ones I had to let go…
I bless you,
but I choose better now.
I choose me.
I choose truth.
I choose who chooses me.
Martytalks Daliy 