Sarala Life — Life in Chapters: Careers, Canines, Cabernet & Courage

Daily writing prompt

What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

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I’ve been thinking about this, and the honest answer is… there isn’t a place in the world I never want to visit.

But there is a place I refuse to return to.

It’s the version of me that shrinks to fit.
The rooms where I question my worth before I even speak.
The spaces where I let others take up so much air that I forget I’m allowed to breathe too.

I’ve visited that place before — more than once, if I’m honest.
It’s where fear dresses up as politeness.
Where self-doubt whispers louder than truth.
Where shame and guilt convince you to stay small, stay quiet, stay agreeable.

And the thing about that place?
It looks familiar. Sometimes even comfortable.
But it costs too much.

Because every time I go there, I abandon parts of myself to make others feel secure.
I negotiate my voice.
I dilute my presence.
I accept less — not because that’s what I deserve, but because it feels safer than taking up space.

So no, there isn’t a country or city I’d rule out completely.
But I am deeply intentional about the internal spaces I revisit.

I don’t go where I have to shrink.
I don’t stay where I feel “not enough.”
And I don’t entertain environments — or people — that make me live in fear, self-doubt, shame, guilt, or uncertainty.

These days, I choose places — and spaces — that expand me.
That meet me where I am, not where I’ve outgrown.

So the answer isn’t a pin on a map.
It’s a boundary.

There are many places in this world I may still explore.
But that version of me?

She’s not a destination anymore.