Toddler Steps

Yes

I was that cautious heron

Taking my first toddler steps

Towards a promised heaven

Nobody lifted me up

Nobody said ""Well done!"

So I kept going

Taking timid toddler steps

A grown woman

Waiting for the cheers

When they no longer made any sense

Robbed of my first delight at success

I refused to accept any praise

Until the day

My friends invited me for dinner

There was no praise on that day either

Only the tenderness of their welcome

And the relief and realization

That acceptance is enough