The older I grow, the more I realise that everything in my life needed to happen for me to be where I am today. And where I am now is a beautiful place. I am at peace with myself because I have known chaos. There is no longer a constant battle raging in my mind, one that always hurt me and the people I love. I can now see people for who they truly are, after all the times I was mistreated. I can recognise toxic patterns in others and in myself, because I once allowed them to remain in my life for far too long. I have learned to fully cherish the good moments, because loss has taught me how fragile everything really is. All the sorrows have made me grateful for the happiness I've known. All the failures have made me wiser. Every shattered dream has guided me towards a new dream, one even more beautiful than the last. Each time I questioned why things didn't work out the way I wanted, I was led to something far better than I could have imagined. That has taught me to accept life a little more, to trust the process a little more, and to let go of the need to control everything. And in that acceptance, I found meaning to life again.