I left myself behind

I left but did not know I left myself behind.

Like a lizard after its shedding,

I don't know how to live in new skin.

I press my soft belly to once-familiar stones, asking,

"Why do these not fit me?

How far must I run

To find myself again?"

~Sleyca

Transformative Relationships

Relationships built on reciprocity, equality, and valuation transform and enrich. Transactional relationships treat people -- and the relationship itself -- as a tool for self-enrichment at the cost of being taken from. Seeing a relationship as a trade-off with costs and balance sheets is reductive and dehumanizing. Participating in partnership opens transformative opportunities for everyone involved.

[T]here are two kinds of relationships, the transactional relationships and the transformational relationships. One is out of necessity and the other is out of desire. One has a clear demand and request with an expectation of return and the other is open-ended with no expectation other than to give. One of the key catalyzers to my personal growth and development has been to limit my transactional relationships and add depth and breath to my transformational relationships.

Transformation

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
— Kahlil Gibran