A reminder of your validity

Must I be seen to feel validated?I was recently watching a show on Gaia where someone posed this profound question to the universe. It got me thinking: Does every action we take need to be observed and acknowledged by others? Must everything be laid out for scrutiny or approval to have worth?

I felt a pang of sadness when my candidate didn’t win. She fought with incredible resilience and strength—a Black and Asian woman breaking barriers, refusing to back down. Her journey was powerful, inspiring many of us who saw parts of ourselves reflected in her story.

I feel both proud and disheartened. Proud of what she represents and the courage it took to stand tall in a landscape that often resists change. But disheartened by the familiar sting of watching the path to progress face another setback. What does it take for voices like hers, like ours, to be heard and validated without needing to fit into a mold?