She never reached her full potential. She thought it was because of the additions to her life. Her job. Her family. Her health. Her lack of. She knew, in her heart, it was really because of herself. She was afraid of getting burned out. She was afraid of what it took to maintain greatness. She was afraid of not meeting a certain standard. She was afraid of inconveniencing people. And then she realized life is a bouquet of inconvenient moments. She continued to wish for a new sky. Something to bring newness to her world. And then she realized, in life, every day is new. It’s the book we’ve owned forever, but hesitate to read in full. It’s everything we signed up for and everything we did not. It’s an aromatic and versatile cup of coffee, spilled on ivory garments. But she was not a stained woman. She was strong and delicate like a seashell adorned with soft, apricot-colored lines. She was found broken and chipped, but she was kept. Saved. And if you put her to your ear, you could hear the ocean’s sound. Turns out, she was always reaching her potential.

The woman I knew is the woman I know.

Clinnesha D. Sibley is an award-winning playwright and published poet/essayist. She is the Literary Arts Instructor at Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven, MS. For more information, please visit: http://onepagerapp.com/clinneshadsibley.