Melanie Spring

When The Reclamation began, I thought I was in a cocoon. 🐛

You know that stage — the gooey, messy middle where the caterpillar dissolves completely before becoming something new. I thought that’s what was happening. I thought I was becoming a butterfly.

But the longer I sat with it, the more I realized — what’s growing inside me isn’t soft wings. It’s fire. It’s a dragon.

And I’ve spent years hiding her. People-pleasing. Softening my directness. Not saying the thing because I was afraid of losing someone. Sanding myself down until I didn’t even recognize who I was anymore.

I have this ability to see people for who they can be.

Their potential. Their possibility. And for most of my life, it felt like a curse — because I’d see it, and they’d choose safety instead. I’d marry potential. Befriend potential. And then feel the heartbreak when they walked away from it.

But I’ve realized that was never about them. It was about me needing to stop knowing what’s best for everyone else and finally trust what I know is true for me.

The dragon is here. She’s not asking permission. She’s not apologizing. And she’s definitely not a butterfly.

Part 3 of The Reclamation is live. 🐉
https://melaniespring.com/blog/the-dragon-inside-of-me